Ray and Stelle were both stretching, preparing themselves to enter the Research Department building.
"Since you didn't bring a sword, you should act as a mage and stay behind."
"That's the wisest choice. Still, I'm confident on my hand to hand skills, I will rush to the front to support be it necessary."
"Appreciate it."
After that, they huddled over the tablet that had been given to them by Doctor Stein. They were planning where to start their operation.
"We need to subjugate and capture creatures, destroy and retrieve key machines and clean, dispose and retrieve dangerous substances that are present."
"Logically speaking, the substances and the machines should be removed first, we don't know if our conflicts with the creatures might cause unforeseen disasters."
Stelle proclaimed.
"You are right, but retrieving them without entering in a conflict is just as dangerous, if we were to encounter a beast while retrieving a dangerous machine, then we could get the both of us killed."
"What do you propose, Ray?"
"Instead of focusing on what to do first, we should focus on the where to."
"You mean, we should choose locations instead of targets."
"Correct, we should go for rooms closer to our entry and exit point, regardless of what is in those rooms. That way, when we go further away from the entrance, we won't have to fight our way through beasts, machines and poisons of all sorts."
"You are correct. Then where should we start? What about this one? It has a machine that supposedly might collapse the building in a short time, our goal is to destroy it. Not only that, the rooms nearby have a substance that needs retrieval and a machine that requires profound maintenance, and was therefore requested to be retrieved as fast as possible."
"You are right, Stelle. Let's go with that one, then."
And so they entered the building.
Their entry point was not the normal entrance of the department building, since the entrance hall had collapsed due to the incident. Instead, they were entering through a window on the ground floor, specifically at the "back" of the building.
Without any hesitation, Ray broke the window, it was better to have a clean entryway in case they were in need of a quick escape route. They weren't about to open and close the window every time they entered or left the building.
The window led to a corridor with around three doors on each side, the first door on the left was their first destination.
They quickly entered the room, naturally they didn't open the door with force, what kind of disaster would unfold if the door hit something volatile.
Inside was a machine that stood in the middle of the room, several tables and closets were placed around it. It was truly the center focus of this room.
Several warning signs were scattered around the room.
Ray looked at Stelle.
"So, how do we go about it. I could crush it with gravity or explode it with flames, but that seems dangerous."
"Wait a minute, let me see if they left any instructions."
Stelle picked the tablet up once again and skimmed through the contents.
"It should be fine for as long as you don't use anything of high temperature, gravity should be fine then."
"Okay then."
He extended a hand and made a motion that resembled grabbing something. The space warped around the machine as it collapsed upon itself into a ball of metal. Some of the remaining systems that had been online issued a group of warnings before fading away, leaving behind the screeching sounds of crushing metal.
Letting go of his magic, Ray watched the lump of metal fall onto the ground.
"Next stop, then."
Stelle watched the lump of iron for a moment and then left the room.
"Let's go get the substance and the machine and give them to the personnel outside."
"Okay, then."
They left the room and headed to the door right in front of the one they had just gotten in.
The new room was in shambles.
The floors, the furniture, and the ground were sizzling with some sort of purple liquid scattered all around the room. Most likely, said liquid was the substance they were supposed to retrieve, spilled all around them.
It had some sort of corrosive effect, even if it was spilled some time ago it was still corroding anything that came in contact with. Besides that...
"How interesting, the things it corrodes can dissolve into a degraded version of it allowing it to spread, perhaps the liquid we are seeing is no longer the original substance." Ray mused.
"Can you gather it with gravity magic?"
"Not with it alone. I will have to use Dominion Magic."
"Dominion Magic?"
"A type of magic centered around the concepts of Control, Tyranny and Domination. It allows me to take control of things. Of course, it takes some toll on me so I have to diminish the backlash my increasing the methods that I use to order things around."
"Methods?"
Needless to say, Stelle was interested.
"Indeed. There are three methods I can use for my Dominion Magic, my mind which includes my Intent, hand gestures and verbal orders. My mind is the default, I use the other two when I don't want to place a lot of burden in me, want to perserve mana or am I confronting someone capable of resisting my normal orders."
Saying that, he took a step forward and activated his magic. His mana flared taking root all around the room. His pupils sharpened, becoming like those of a cat's or a lizard's.
He gave the mental order.
Then he lifted two fingers, tightly pressed against each other, upwards.
'Hand Gestures added.'
And then, for the final stroke, he added Verbal Orders.
"Rise into the air."
And with that, the corrosive substance rose to the air in various droplets scattered all around the room.
His mana flared once again, this time he reached for his gravity magic.
The droplets started converging into a single point in the center of the room in a great spectacle of magic.
"Pretty cool, right?" Ray smirked.
Stelle did not answer him, merely looking at the orb intently.
Ray looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, let's get the next room, get the machine to deliver these two things to the people outside and then come back inside."
With that, he left the room.
Stelle was still looking at the place where the orb of corrosive liquid had been when she sighed and muttered:
"Magic sure is convenient."
During the Combat Test, after she had gone through, whatever that was, she had briefly felt the presence of mana in her body. The sensation of using magic for the very first time in her life had been exhilarating.
Those golden flames, whatever they were, weren't simple. They weren't just the flames of fire, they were born of something else.
'What am I even thinking about here. Nothing of this musing will get me anywhere, I have to ask Ray for help...'
And yet... she hesitated, every time she made up her mind to do it...
'I will ask him tomorrow.'
She had been in that cycle, staring at him in class or when they crossed each other, holding each other's gaze as if they were challenging one another. Why didn't she ask for help in any of those situations?
She secretly bit her lip.
She knew why.
'Because he is my rival. Not only that, he is someone who reciprocated that feeling, I can't mess that up. I want... to catch up to him through my own efforts.'
Otherwise, that scene would only happen again...
A few years back...
"Brother... I wanted to ask... w-would you help me with my swordmanship. My tutor has been yelling at me recently, and I... I want to prove them wrong, cou- could you show me how, brother!"
"You want me to help you?"
Seeing the smile slowly appearing in her older brother's face. She felt hope igniting in her chest. Her brother, the light of the Meyer family, the biggest talent of the Kingdom of Striocia.
"Yes! Please, brother!"
But his smile did not stop widening, and soon it turned into a mocking sneer.
"Ha... Hahahahahahahaha! That was so funny, Stelle! You... you actually thought that with help you would actually succeed! It's hilarious."
He wiped a tear that had formed at the corner of his eye.
"Let me tell you, the reason why the tutor yells at you is simple, you are untalented, trash basically, no matter how much effort or help you get from others, what does it matter, you will always be of a inferior breed than people like me. Also..."
His hand shot forward, gripping the little girl's small head. She yelped in pain, the tears already forming due to her sibling's mockery fully bursting forth thanks to the sharp, sudden pain.
"Didn't I already tell you to call me Lord Meyer?"
"B-but *Sniff* I am a Meyer, t-too."
He stood up from his chair, raising her with his hand still in her head, raising her with him. The pain on her head intensified.
"A Meyer? You think our blood could create something this pathetic, outrageous, even the servants are more worthy of that name than you."
With a flick of his wrist he then threw her away.
"Now, shoo. You are sullying the carpets of my room."
Since that day, Stelle never asked for help again.
'Never again.' She vowed.
********
A/N: Another chapter, hope I didn't exagerate with the flashback.
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