Chapter 488: Ceremony? (1)
Chapter 486
The elevator doors opened onto an almost empty floor.
The hallways were devoid of anybody walking about.
There were a dozen doors leading to various locations.
"Come along," Ella urged as she walked forward, leading the cohort towards a particular door.
At one end of the hallway, they could see a staircase that possibly led upward again.
Well, that wasn’t where they were headed for now.
Ella marched towards a door and gave it a firm knock.
A few seconds passed with no response, so Ella knocked on the door again.
Yet, there was still no reply.
Glancing at the cohort behind her with a nervous smile, she knocked on the door once more, this time much louder and firmer.
Finally, a groggy reply came from the other end.
"Ye-yes? Come in."
Ella scoffed before twisting the doorknob and pushing the door open to reveal an expansive room that doubled as both a bedroom and an office of sorts.
If one could call it an office, though.
The teens walked into the room, their heads turning left and right.
They could see a bed in one corner of the room with a small reading desk beside it.
Then, in the center, dominating the space, was a sarcophagus-like pod that looked like a glassy coffin.
There was also a table and chair with tons of files scattered across the desk.
Leaning against a wall was a battle axe.
Hanging on another part of the wall was a scabbard with a sword sheathed inside it.
Sitting on a couch wide enough to comfortably fit about five people, Raze could be seen sipping from a cup of coffee while rubbing his tired eyes.
There was another couch across from him, just as wide as the one he sat on at the moment.
Peeling his gaze away from the bubbly coffee, Raze looked at the cohort standing before him and let out a small yawn.
Then, he glanced at a fuming Ella.
Lifting a brow, he asked:
"What?"
Stomping forward, Ella stood before him, towering over the short man with a glare in her eyes.
"Not only did you turn me into a delivery ma—woman, you also took too long to answer the door."
Raze sighed before taking another sip of his coffee and looking behind the woman—at the cohort.
"Thank you."
That was all he said before taking another sip of his coffee and going silent.
Ella stared at him for several moments before scoffing and stomping away from the room.
She passed by the cohort and then whispered,
"Good luck being with him. Tsk."
She then swung the door open and walked out, leaving the cohort alone with Raze, who was loudly sipping on his coffee.
Unlike the normal way of holding a cup, Raze held his by placing his hand over the mouth of the cup, leaving only a small space where he sipped from.
Glancing at the kids, who stood like robots—or more accurately, like statues—he sighed and gestured with his brows.
"Come, sit."
With the order given, they all walked towards the couches.
Caster, Chloe, Van, and Felix sat on the couch across from the Captain.
Ray, Trisha, and Kai sat on the couch with Raze, with the Tribrid seated closest to the Captain.
Then, the room went silent for several seconds, with only the sound of the Captain sipping his coffee being heard.
Meanwhile, Ray’s mind was consumed by the absurd quest his system had given him.
How was he supposed to kill Berg?
Not only was the bastard’s father a Big Four Legacy, but it would be almost impossible to locate the boy in order to complete the quest.
As for Bryce, Ray knew how to locate him.
His eyes darted to the side at his System screen as a subtle smirk settled on his face.
[Mark: 2/3]
When he had made the promise to the man and patted him on the shoulder, Ray had marked him, ensuring he would be able to locate him wherever he was within the Walls.
Even before the System quest, Ray had already decided on when he would strike the man.
It was just a matter of time—
"Are you in pain?" Captain Raze asked, his side eye fixed on Ray while he sipped his drink.
"Huh? Oh—uh... not really. It stings a bit, but I’m fine."
"..."
Raze nodded before dropping his cup onto the center table with a satisfied sigh.
"I hope you hold no grudges for what I did?"
Ray shook his head.
"I felt like it was necessary."
Raze nodded along.
"Indeed, it was. But how did you know I held no intention to kill you?"
Ray turned his gaze fully towards the man.
"If you wanted me dead, you wouldn’t have gone out of your way to speak to the jury. The initial verdict passed was going to handle that, so... yeah."
The corner of Raze’s lips twitched into a knowing smile for a split second.
"Good. But it seems one other person holds a grudge, though."
He uttered while turning his gaze towards Van, who had been glaring at the Captain ever since he walked into the room.
Ray turned his attention towards his best friend with a raised brow.
"What? He hurt you. I saw your blood spraying into the air."
"And he did that to save Ray, dumbass. If it wasn’t because of him, our friend would be dead by now," Felix said, facepalming himself as he spoke.
Van scoffed and turned his gaze to the side.
Ray shook his head silently with a tired sigh.
"Anyway, I called you all here to inform you about something."
Raze reached out and grabbed his cup again.
Taking a sip, he looked at the cohort.
"Tomorrow, you all will have to attend the induction ceremony with whatever little amount of Aspirants that want to join us. The General of the Order will be present tomorrow, so you all better be on your best behaviour."
Turning his head in Ray’s direction, he added:
"... I don’t have to tell you though. You have seen it; humanity wants you dead. So better not give them a reason to attack."
Turning his head in Van’s direction, he addressed him:
"I know you aren’t much of a fighter, so I apologise in advance for dragging you for this expedition to Wall Ro—"
Van shook his head.
"Even if you didn’t, Ray and I were planning to go one day to take back what belonged to us. At least, now we can do this with more men."
"Which might not be enough still," Chloe added.
Raze looked at the cohort for several seconds before gulping down the last of his coffee.
"You all must be tired. There’s a Vanguard outside who will lead you all to your rooms. Freshen up, rest, eat, and prepare for the ceremony tomorrow. It will begin at noon on the dot, so don’t be late."
The cohort all rose to their feet at once.
"You are dismissed."
Simultaneously, they all saluted and walked out of the room, leaving Captain Raze alone with his thoughts.