Tomorrow, it seemed like a day of rest. Aiden and Synnove went to the Oracle courtyard, and they found themselves a place under the big Zelkova Serrata tree which sat in the middle of the it. It cast a large shade on the area, and often, an open-air cafe would be set up there.
They sat, ordered their drinks, and quickly a crowd gathered around them. Aldegar, then Khiara, Dr. Arroyo, Sondre... They enjoyed the rare few moments of peace.
Aiden leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands behind his head and letting out a deep exhale. "You know, I could get used to this." he grinned. "Since I moved to Sylvanwood, I don't think I've had a moment of actual peace."
"Question is, who was worse," teased Synnove. "Cassius or Olek?"
Aiden burst into laughter at the question, almost falling out of his chair. "Close call, really."
Aldegar sat at the head of the large table, keenly following as officers and privates alike walked around the courtyard and enjoyed the sun. "Despite not being able to fully immerse myself in relaxation, without it, we'd crumble under pressure."
He sipped on his coffee, its warm aroma reaching Aiden's nose, before he also ordered another cup.
Opposite Aldegar sat Dr. Arroyo, stuffing her mouth full of chocolate cake. Khiara was intently observing her, a mix of intrigue and disgust in her gaze.
"You know, Amelia," she said with a grin. "I don't think stuffing your mouth full of sugar is going to give you enough energy to work the whole day."
She looked up from her plate, crumbs all around her lips. "I'll have you know, cake is completely acceptable as an energy source!" she retorted, waving her fork around. "Either way, it's my day off. Kohaku is covering me today, so, let me enjoy a bit."
"Now that you mention cake," spoke Sondre, who was sat next to Aiden. "At the assembly, Fornicus said your birthday is April 15th? Did you even get a chance to celebrate, with all the Cult nonsense?"
Aiden was taken aback by the question, as he figured what to respond. "No... not really. I think that, my birthday passed while I was in that coma after the ritual. I was out for three days."
Everyone stopped for a moment, reveling Aiden's words. Suddenly, Khiara stood up, and grabbed the last slice of Dr. Arroyo's cake. She brought it over to Aiden, before shoving his head into the slice, completely covering his face in chocolate and whipped cream.
"You moron!" she exclaimed. "You couldn't have told us this earlier?"
Aiden blindly stumbled around the table, grabbing a napkin and clearing his face. "I was a bit busy with not dying, you know?"
Khiara waved at the waiter, and he quickly walked up to them. "Yes, miss?"
"Go get me a whole cake, chocolate and orange, and get two numbered candles in the middle. 22."
"How did you know I liked chocolate and orange the most?" he asked, still struggling to clean all the whipped cream off of his face.
"Synnove told me, obviously." she laughed heartily. "You really think this wasn't planned?"
"You guys..."
The cake arrived, and the group enjoyed a slice each, as almost the entire Oracle joined them.
"Damn, this cake is tasty!" shouted Amaro as he took a piece of his slice. Eira couldn't help but laugh at his antics.
Ingrid and Monique just enjoyed their cut in silence, and everyone was having a great time. However, per usual, something had to come up.
As everyone was chatting and relaxing, suddenly, a large commotion was heard. A bunch of privates dashed to the left entrance of the courtyard, carrying two stretchers. At the gate, two wounded people sat, one leaning against the wall, and one completely collapsed on the floor. Everyone got up from their seats, and bolted as fast as humanely possible to the gate.
At the gate, it was Ambrosio and Severo, both heavily wounded. Dr. Arroyo and Dr. Akker rushed to treat their injuries as much as currently possible, surging their Essence into their wounds, but, they'd already lost a lot of blood, and Ambrosio was unconscious. Dr. Ishikawa rushed in, his glasses almost falling off of his face in his speed.
He quickly waved his hand in their direction, and both of them was quickly encased in an orange pill-like shape. Dr. Ishikawa's Amber Encase.
"There," he wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "They should be stable now. Quickly, carry them to the emergency room!"
The privates placed them on the stretchers, echoing a singular "Yes sir!" before bolting off towards the Medical Corps building.
"Wow, Dr. Ishikawa," surprisingly spoke Aiden. "That power is amazing!"
"Thank you." he politely accepted the compliment. "I call it Amber Encase. What it does is basically freeze the encased in their current status. It stabilizes them, stops blood loss or wounds from progressing."
"Kohaku, I know you love to brag about your power's usefulness, but, now's not the time!" shouted Dr. Arroyo. "Come on, let's go see the wounded."
Everyone made their way to the emergency response unit, and calmly entered. The doctors stepped up, alongside Aiden and Aldegar, while the rest stood behind.
"Their status?" asked Dr. Arroyo.
"Stable, miss." responded a private.
"Lucia, has Ambrosio awoken?"
"Not yet." Dr. Carruso spoke, as she treated Ambrosio's wounds. "I'm struggling with this chest wound, though. It keeps re-opening and bleeding."
"I think I could help with that?" said Aiden, as he stepped up to Ambrosio. "Miss Carruso, could you just get some cold water?"
Dr. Carruso grabbed a jug of cold water, as Aiden neared his hands to Ambrosio's chest. He swiped his palm against the wound, and activated Matchbox for a split second. The wound shortly ignited, cauterizing on touch and the bleeding ending instantly.
"What- What is that...?" Dr. Ishikawa said with a fearful tone.
"Matchbox. It's my first inherited power, got it all the way back in Sylvanwood." Aiden smirked. "It lets me set things on fire, like a matchbox. Hence the name..."
"Wait, Aiden," Synnove spoke softly, her tone puzzled. "What do you mean 'first' power? You only have Matchbox?"
"No, actually. Before I fought Benoit, I finished off another dude that was wounded before I woke up. When I did, Inherit activated... though my memory is blurry, I was acting more off of instinct then actual thoughts."
Monique included herself in the conversation, almost to brag. "Most likely a fool that survived my Sanguine Blast."
Aiden slowly turned his head towards Monique, squinting his eyes and confused. "Sanguine... what now?"
"Sanguine Bla-" Monique stopped, before clicking her tongue and turning away. "Nevermind."
"I suggest everyone who isn't medical staff leave to leave the room, so we can focus on treating the two wounded officers." Firmly ordered Dr. Akker. "Please."
"Of course." Aldegar responded, his order even firmer than Dr. Akker's. "Let's go everyone."
Everyone left the emergency room, and gathered around under the tree once more, waiting for some news. After around an hour, Dr. Akker came up to the cafe, and gave an update.
"I can confirm both officers are stable and will survive without any issues." he reassured. "However, the nature of their injuries is what we are concerned about. Since we couldn't find Captain Tosetti anywhere, Lieutenant, you're second in charge. Could you come along?"
"Certainly. Son, you come too." he called out. "I'm certain this is a Cult related issue, and in there, you're our trump card. We need you to be informed."
They returned to the emergency room, where both Ambrosio and Severo were awake but still visibly wounded.
"Lieutenant," Severo spoke. "I'm glad you came. It's urgent."
"Me and Ambrosio headed for the industrial district. We were supposed to finish everything with Severance Industrial as approved during the general assembly, but, something went awry. When we got to their building, there was a large impact hole on the side, and the door was blown in."
"We still progressed," continued Ambrosio. "Because, we needed to make sure there were no injured... or worse. We found no one inside, but, that was until we got ambushed."
"Ambushed?" Aldegar furrowed his brow, as he grabbed a chair and sat next to Severo's bed. "By who?"
Ambrosio's voice shook as he clung onto his chest wound. "Not who. What."
Severo had a difficult time remembering exactly what happened, due to the chaos of the situation. "We were attacked by what we can only assume are corrupted humans, but, they were much different than the case Aiden described. They were quadrupedal, their skin all sorts of exotic colors. Their nails turned into large claws almost, and some were so emaciated that their ribcages and spines were completely exposed.."
"We defeated a few, but, the horde was too massive. Our powers aren't designed for combat, and, by the time we had prepared ourselves, we were overwhelmed already."
Aldegar leaned in, his expression grave. "Do you think there are more of them still inside the building?"
"Certainly..."