Rumble!
A loud thunderclap echoed, causing the aircraft to tremble as it surged through the sky, slicing through the storm.
Within the old aircraft were eight individuals. Sal, the trainmaster and the rest of the black ribbon examinees that had survived.
They all had different looks on their faces, their thoughts varied as they awaited the next phase of their own exam.
None of them had the happy expression one would have after accomplishing what they had. In fact, the whole space was white tense and all of them were trying to distract themselves with various thoughts.
Among all of them, Marceline was the one that looked the best. Although her clothes were soaked and the cold was finally getting to her after spending more than an hour in the storm, she was relatively better off than the rest.
Zandov and the lady who always stuck to Lassen's side and whose name was Irene, was the next. Both had participated in battles but due to the self invented weapons their team had made, the rest of their battles had been pretty easy.
Then there was Lassen who had brawled with most of the monsters, engaging them in close quarters and acting as the tank of the team.
His clothes were torn and his torso was bare, leaving behind only tattered pants.
But even compared to the last three, he was still way better off.
Yvonne was bandaged all over, a quick first aid treatment had been administered to her. Maja had been shocked at the fact that even with how injured she was, Yvonne had managed to walk herself.
After Sal announced that there was one final stage for the black ribbons to become official members of the special squad, Maja suggested she give up on becoming a member of the special squad. But Yvonne insisted on continuing.
Then there was Percy, whose body was covered in blood. He had refused treatment for reasons unknown and yet known at the same time. Sal guessed that Percy had most likely single handedly killed half of the monster's on the mountain.
"You'll get to captain level sooner than you know." Sal had said with a mysterious smile.
But the real reason why the entire plane was quiet, the reason why Percy had refused treatment and the reason why although they were only a step away from being members of the prestigious special squad, none of the youths were happy was because of one individual.
Ichor.
His arrival alone had sent a chill down their spines and merely remembering it made them tremble. His presence which was now back to normal had been like that of a mutant, cadaveric and filled with bloodlust.
"This is new even for me?" Sal had said and Maja had been shocked.
His aura wasn't what made the examinees tremble, no. It was his looks.
Ichor had arrived at the mountain top covered in blood. The state of clothing couldn't be determined, covered in blood and grime even now.
His steel baton was gone, only its handle remained in his hand. His umbrella was nowhere to be found.
On his face was a gruesome cut, one that ran along his left eye. They had all thought it was just a surface wound until Ichor arrived at the beacon.
His left eye was gone. The whole socket, empty.
Ichor's remaining right eyes glowed eerily, a maniacal smile gracing his lips. He had chuckled his way up the mountain path, each sound sending a shiver down the spine of the examinees.
Even Sal had looked at him with a weary gaze. But Ichor seems to be lost in his own world, muttering words that only he seemed to be able to hear.
Percy was the only one with enough guts to sit beside Ichor, the rest of them made sure to stay as far away as possible due to his unstable state.
Percy glanced beside him, his purple eyes flashing with a complicated gaze. He wanted to say something but he found himself at a loss of words so he remained quiet.
At that time, sounds of footsteps resounded through the quiet space and all the passengers raised their heads to look at sal.
"We've arrived at a very secret location of the royal army. Codenamed; Golgotha. This is the final phase of the exam for members of the special squad."
Sal walked past the youths and arrived by the cargo entrance of the aircraft,
"You have just one mission," he stated as he pressed a button to open the aircraft. The examinees immediately grabbed onto something.
"Below is a Golgotha, a pool of genetic enhancement fluid. The pool is almost a thousand meters in height, making it quite high. You are to jump into it."
"What?" Zandov asked in shock.
"You are all pretty talented, but only this pool can make you truly powerful. This is a test of courage as well as the final requirement to become a member of the special squad."
Sal chuckled with a mysterious smile,
"Beneath your seats are parachutes, you will be needing them."
"If there are parachutes, then how is our bravery being tested?" Irene asked, speaking for the second time since she said her name. Her voice was gentle and high pitched, like a singing bird.
"The pool can make you surpass your limitations as a human, but it can also kill you, reducing you to nothing but a pool of waste fluid."
"So basically this is a gamble?" Ichor spoke, his gentle tone was the same, but there was nothing relaxing to it.
All eyes fell on him, eyes that soon went wide as he stood up in the turbulent plane and slowly walked towards the cargo entrance.
"Will it make me stronger?" he asked.
Sal remained quiet for a moment, then his head rose, revealing deep blue eyes.
"It will unshackle you."
"That's all I need to hear." Ichor chuckled, his aura ominous, his single eye gleaming with a malevolent light.
He walked to the edge of the cargo door and took an extra step forward, falling from the sky.