Thalia seemed skeptical of Ace's answer, indicated by her intense stare. It seemed as if she was trying to burn a hole through him with her gaze.
'Jeez... she's not buying my answer at all. But why not? Does she know something I don't?'
Desperately wanting to break eye contact, Ace found that he was frozen still. Fortunately, the stern woman moved away first as she walked over to the ladder hatch and began barking out orders.
"Everyone get inside and get to sleep! We have less than 12 hours before Combat Testing! I don't know what that entails but we need to be well rested! We will talk more in the morning."
Relieved to be free of her scrutinizing gaze, Ace followed his siblings down into the main complex of the building. Walking past the living room which they had just eaten a late dinner in, he found himself in a plain and almost prison-like room with five beds lined up against a cracked concrete wall.
The five youngest didn't have much to their names, but there were a few trinkets hanging from their bed posts. Some were items found with the kids when they were babies and some were gifts that Ace and Icarus had risked their skin for by stealing from the city wall and other slum districts.
With Icarus' help, Ace quickly got the other children situated for bed and returned to the room they shared. It was across the hallway and sported the same cracked concrete aesthetic. Unlike their younger siblings, the two boys didn't have anything but the necessities. All of the interesting things they found were given to everyone else at the orphanage. The boys didn't mind since they loved showering their younger siblings with gifts.
Icarus wasted no time and threw himself onto the bed with excitement.
"I've been waiting for this moment all day! I know tomorrow is going to be important, but some good sleep is never a bad thing you know? See you tomorrow bro!"
Ace looked at his brother and then at his own bed.
'How is it that he can sleep so easily?! We just got told by aliens that we're going to be forced to participate in some weird year long trial with probably a great deal of fighting. That's not exactly recipe for a good nights sleep...'
Trying to shake the strange feeling, Ace took off his boots and jumped into bed. He waited patiently for the sweet embrace of sleep.
***4 Hours Later***
It never came. Sleep that is. Ace was far too busy fighting one of his greatest enemies.
To be more precise, it was the snoring of his boisterous roommate. He wasn't exactly tired but the sound was loud enough to prevent him from hearing his own thoughts. He was almost tempted to slap his brother awake so he could have some peace. Grumbling internally, he rolled out of bed.
'That's it, I'm taking a walk. Maybe I can clear my head.'
Before lacing up his boots, he made sure that Icarus was really asleep and timed his footsteps with the sound of his brother's snoring. Treading lightly, he also managed to sneak past Thalia's room which was situated at the front of the hallway. Once he made it to the main dining room, Ace found that he was too scared to try the rickety steel door at the entrance to the building. Instead, he took to the roof using the same ladder they all had used earlier that night.
Once on the roof, he was greeted by the brilliant dots of light from the stars above. Making his way to an edge situated above an alley, he jumped down onto a pile of scrap that he had placed to make sneaking out easier. Finally free, he strode out onto the dirt road with confidence. Completely alone, he was accompanied by only his thoughts.
'Today has been a.... long day. To think running into the Sentinels wasn't even the main event. And things are supposed to get even more hectic than this? That's definitely concerning.... '
Continuing his steady gait through his district, Ace looked around. Not much had changed in his 15 years of life spent there. Dozens of shoddily built man-made structures lined both sides of the street.
Some were huts made from scrap metal and wooden pallets while others looked like giant cubes of concrete with holes cut out for windows. It was apparent that the elites in charge of the government didn't care for the slums or its residents. It was a miracle they even gave out rations and maintained sever exposure facilities.
Ace looked at the state of his community with disappointment as he continued his stroll. His thoughts drifted to the words of the mysterious black orb from earlier that night.
'Sever Energy detected... That's definitely not what I was expecting to hear. I don't have the super human strength or reflexes that come with being enhanced. Hell, I still get my ass beat by Thalia every week...'
He let out an exasperated sigh, and kicked a rock on the dirt road.
'With my luck the sphere I got was probably broken. Speaking of which...where is it? It seemed pretty intent on not leaving me alone earlier. '
Ace paused underneath a street lamp and looked around. He couldn't see it, the black sphere had disappeared!
'What the! Where did it go? Damn it, what was that thing called again...'
With that small thought, the black sphere shimmered into existence less than a foot away from his head. It hung in the air towards the upper right corner of his periphery.
[Laevus? You called? This is Warden 190845362.]
"Where did you go earlier?"
[I have not left your side since we bonded. I entered 'discreet mode' after you failed to give me a command. That is why you could not see me.]
"You can turn invisible!?"
[Yes. Reminder, auditory communication is unnecessary. Your thoughts will suffice.]
"Alri-"
Stopping himself, Ace followed the alien device's instructions.
'You said I failed to give you a command earlier. What did you mean? What can you do?'
[I am capable of personal assessment and trial assessment. My other functions are currently locked.]
'Trial assessment? Are you referring to combat testing?'
[Yes, combat testing is only one part of the trials you're species will be forced to endure]
'I see... Could you tell me why the other people on the roof were unable to calibrate with other Wardens? That is what you spheres are called right? Wardens? Also, if you're an alien robot how come we can talk to each other?'
[Firstly, I am not a robot, but an existence unknown entirely to your people. Myself and others of my kind are indeed known as wardens. I speak your language because my creators easily deciphered it. I am capable of speaking every known language in the universe.]
'Well isn't that convenient' Ace thought as he looked around.
He was out in the open, completely isolated in the darkness beneath a street lamp. He felt exposed so he began making his way towards the scrapyard. If he attracted the wrong kind of attention he could at least hide.
It wasn't wise to walk the streets of the slums at night and alone. Thugs and other vagrants tended to get increasingly bold during that time, as Ace had found out on multiple occasions. Fortunately, his speed was something that always seemed to bail him out of trouble.
As he walked, his floating companion continued its explanation.
[Any members of your species unable to bond with one of my kind is due to a lack of sever energy. When unable to calibrate, my kind will only be capable of trial assessment.]
'You keep mentioning trial assessment, could you go into more detail?'
[Of course. Displaying relevant information now]
A blue and almost translucent screen popped up in front of Ace, making him jump.
[Do not be alarmed. Only you can see this screen. It is merely a projection in your mind]
He looked down at the window.
---
[Current Trial - Combat Testing]
[Time Until Start - 07:34]
[Trial Length - One Earth Revolution (1 year)]
[GQC-1 Parameters for Success - Slay a Grade 3 Sever Beast]
---
What he saw only gave him more questions.
'A Grade 3 Sever Beast?! What is that?'
[A Sever Beast is any fauna that has been trans-mutated by Sever energy exposure. The grade of the beast refers to its physical capabilities as well as special abilities. To learn more information you must receive merits or increase your grade.]
'Fauna? Do you mean like wild animals?'
[Yes, that's correct]
Ace was quite surprised. The only animals he had ever seen had were the birds and rats that liked to scavenge for food inside trash units. Any other animals that he knew of where the ones that Thalia had described to him when talking about her childhood before Interloper arrival.
Now curious, he inquired further.
'You mentioned that I must increase my grade to get more information, how can I find out my current grade? Is that what personal assessment is?'
[Yes, simply think the word 'stats' and you will see a similar window to trial assessment]
Ace nodded an affirmation as he walked past the entrance gates to the scrapyard and navigated though the maze of junk until he found what he was looking for.
Before him stood an inconspicuous pile of all sorts of building material. At the top of it was a truck seat which had long been separated from its home vehicle. He settled into the chair and prepared himself to give the Warden a command.
'Here goes nothing.... stats'