New Faces

Akimitsu teleports us to an unfamiliar room.

Collections of swords and shields are nicely arrayed against the walls.

“Let me guess… Akimitsu sent you three here?”

A finely-dressed man approaches us.

His thin eyebrows and stern look give the vibe he’s not someone to mess around with.

“So, get to it. What are your names? Got any dreams? Just make it quick…”

The short girl with her joyful personality abrupt the serious tension by raising her hand.

“My name’s Bai Ming of the Bai Clan! It is my duty as the sixth daughter of the Bai Clan to inherit and succeed the Xuzhong Dock!”

The tall man adjusts his small, round glasses.

He looks barely impressed by her background.

“Next…”

The long-eared girl steps forward.

She gazes back at the man.

“I’m Alfhild Truelson. That’s all you need to know…”

“That’s cute…”

He turns to me.

“It’s your turn now…”

“My name is Archie Hamon.”

An awkward silence seeps in the room.

“So, what’s your name?”

Bai Ming kills the silence.

“The name’s Balduin Schulze. As a squad, your first assignment to show me your powers as a team.”

The silence returns.

We stare at each other with confusion.

“How?” Bai Ming asks.

“How else? Aren’t you going to reveal your affinities to each other? That’s how trust is made. If trust is not established, we can’t function as a team.”

He’s right.

Maybe this is the reason why we are assigned as a squad.

I do as he instructs, manifesting the earth from beneath into a condensed ball.

The other girls join me; Bai Ming conjures flames from her hand, and electricity surges through Alfhild’s body.

“We revealed our affinities, now what?” Bai Ming wonders.

“Now, you three must—”

“Hang on a minute. You act as if we should value ‘teamwork’ when we’re working together, yet you’re our captain. Shouldn’t it be in our best interest to know your affinity?”

Our eyes are glued to the elf, who spoke out of turn.

He searches his pockets, pulling out a gauntlet.

“Y-You don’t have an affinity?” Alfhild says.

“Wrong!”

An enormous amount of magick is gathered in that fist.

He smashes the ground.

Crystalized shards are shaped into a spiral.

The silence seeps once more.

This time, Bai Ming doesn’t say anything.

He stands up straight, wiping off the dust and adjusts his glasses again.

“That’s Thirty-Thousand Goods from all of your pockets in total…”

“What?!”

“That’ll be your third assignment. We’ll head outside for our second assignment.”

“Wait, what about our—”

I stop Bai Ming from saying anymore.

My head shakes, and she quietly growls.

Balduin exits the room, and we follow him.

I can only hope what the others are doing with their squad captains.