The Cyborg System-Chapter 65: Off to Xeno Minor

After a light breakfast, the Sanctuary Gang walked together to the Great Hall. The sky was a dull grey with streaks of sunrise seeping through on occasion. The mood of the group was noticeably more sombre, the excitement of the open sparring session having worn off, replaced by something else.

"Nervous?" asked Rose.

"I think it would be strange not to be," said Lenny. "For me though, this is not just an opportunity to gain some experience. I want to get some new weapons and upgrades too."

"Makes sense," she replied.

"Actually, I was thinking I could make you a new staff, and maybe something for you too Harry."

"I need a chest plate," said Harry without hesitation. "I plan on making one with whatever cores I get that are compatible, but something out in the field would be useful too."

"Won’t someone notice if you suddenly have a chest plate out of nowhere?"

"Just wear it under your clothes," said Lenny. "It’ll be fine."

Harry nodded.

"In that case, I don’t really want another staff. I want a glaive. Something more attack focused. Master Wood said I was a natural and I don’t just want to be a part of the support anymore; I want to be part of the attack. Do you think you could do that?"

"It sort of depends what we come up against, but I’ll try my best."

They walked on in silence, thinking of the task ahead.

*

Inside the Great Hall, the students gathered. What was surprising, though, was that, unlike usual, most students seemed to be wearing spirit armour or some kind of spirit weapon. However, this wasn’t universally true. Most of the green sashes had an item or two of the scavenger tier, while the elites of the blue sash and above were more heavily armoured and enhanced. It seemed as if many were already representing their factions, displaying their clan colours proudly. While this made them feel a strong sense of share identity with their brethren, it also created some tension in the atmosphere.

All Harry could seem to see around him was dark blue wetsuits with a white hand reaching upwards. "The Crest of the Drowned," he thought. "There’s so many of them." It was true. There were nearly a dozen of them spread throughout the Great Hall, many of them congregated together.

That’s when he heard it: "Mud boy." It came from Hailey, the green sash who had embarrassed him in class, then thoroughly beaten him in sparring. It was followed by a snigger and peals of laughter from their group. Harry clenched his fists in frustration and turned away.

Lenny spotted Nicholas approaching. He was wearing a bright orange jumpsuit, a symbol of the Salamanders. He certainly looked the part. "Hello," he said. "No spirit armour?"

"I have these," said Lenny, showing him the gauntlets. "Oh, and this..." He held out the black shuriken he’d made in the Jade Garden.

Nicholas looked at it strangely, before Lenny placed it back in his pocket. He knew his teammates would see him using it, so trying to hide it was pointless, but that didn’t mean he had to rub it in their noses. It really was quite a strange looking thing.

Suddenly, a loud whistling could be heard, and turning their heads, Ivy could be seen waiting with the rest of their team.

"I guess that’s my call," said Rose. She paused for a moment, looking at Harry and Lenny. "Well, good luck." And with that, she was off.

"Be careful," said Harry.

A few minutes later, Ollie and Vee arrived, completing their team. They had arrived shortly before the stated departure time, clearly in less of a rush than the others. What had surprised Lenny, though, was that Vee was wearing a light brown helmet that looked as if it was made out of a spirit-enhanced leather.

"From Master Berg?" asked Lenny.

"No," said Vee. "I saved up my credits and traded for it."

They were only given 10 credits a day, the kind of money which would usually go on some extra treats or amenities. To have bought armour with it, suggested she must have spent practically no money on anything else in the months they had been here. Lenny was building a picture in his mind and the special quality he had seen in Vee that separated her from many others was a certain type of tenacity one sometimes found in slum dwellers.

At that, the crowd started to quieten down.

Up at the front was a large raised wooden platform with a microphone. The scene was somewhat reminiscent of their arrival here, after they had all been given their respective coloured sashes and chosen a portal to jump through.

Master Wood took centre stage. "Quiet!" she roared. The crowd followed. "The Connector will be here shortly. Listen carefully to what he says and do not hesitate to jump through the portal when asked. A squad from the Western Alliance will be waiting for us at the rally point, ready to convoy us to Fortress One. Remember, many of you are representing your factions today. Behave appropriately."

The digital clock in the room changed from 07:59 to 08:00 at that moment and a strange humming sound was heard. Then, an orange portal opened up and an old man fell through onto the main stage. He had a bald head and whisps of white hair which protruded from either side of his skull. Lenny recognised him instantly. That pin-striped black and white suit sure was distinctive—both formal and strangely idiosyncratic.

The old man with a wild look in his eyes cleared his throat. "Good morning, students. It has been some time since I have seen you last. I am sure much has changed in that time, or has seemed to anyway. You’re about to take an important journey, one which may well change the course of your destiny forever, in either positive or negative directions.

"I hope you will show no hesitation when given the chance to slaughter our enemies. And if you find yourselves in danger, think of your families and factions back home. If you fight hard enough, you will make your way back to them. And though I do not relish saying this, I will remind you that you are not just there as students, but provisional members of the forces of the Western Alliance. Cowardice will not be tolerated. You are only to retreat if instructed to. Those who run off will be court martialled. If the circumstances are not fit to capture you, your punishment may be administered in the field.

"With that, I wish you good luck. And also, I hope you don’t have sensitive stomachs."

Several portals opened up around the room at that time. Although, rather than opening them up vertically, as he had done previously, these new larger portals were in the floor, those standing above falling in with no warning.

"What are you waiting for?!" shouted Master Wood. "Go, go, go!"

The room erupted into chaos, the students all making for the large orange portals at the centre of the room and jumping in.