Chapter 25 (2 of 2) Navy of the Distorted Depths.
Infinityphoenix
Fantasizer
- Location
- Australia
"I doubt many have seen me before, but my name is Merrow Arkenast. Commander Arkenast to you all. I am the highest authority in White Squall Fortress," he said with a toothy grin.
The audience was silent for a moment, before low mutters broke out, the audience starting to discuss the implications of him being there. The Commander cocked an eyebrow at the noise, before tapping his foot against the ground.
RUMBLE!
The mutters were silenced as a thick oppressing force descended upon the room, the gravity seemingly multiplying as billowing waves of blue energy unfurled from the man at the front of the room. Conlan gritted his teeth as he tried to remain upright against the pressure, Catherine trying to do the same next to him, but was slowly buckling under the weight. The curly-haired woman several rows in front of him… was fine, if a bit pale.
The Commander smirked and shot her a glance, before the blue aura was withdrawn back into him, and everyone let out sighs of relief. He placed his hands behind his back. "Don't speak until I'm finished, otherwise I'll leave and you won't get to hear my words. Is that clear?" he said, narrowing his eyes at them.
There were several shaky nods, and he grinned. "Good. Now, firstly. That aura I let out was not even a quarter the strength of the auras you will have to stand up against when fighting monsters of behemothic size. I see two of you have already fainted," he said, pointing to two unfortunate young men, who collapsed on their benches. He gestured to Officer Stanhope. "Take them out and deposit them outside this room. They won't be part of this training camp anymore."
The Officer nodded, easily picking up the two men and slinging them over his shoulders to exit the room. The Commander looked at all the pale faces. "You think this is unfair?" he asked rhetorically.
Nobody answered, but several expressions on the audience's faces said it all. He smirked. "Nobody said it was fair that we fight the most dangerous creatures in the realms daily, while not even being able to earn a noble title because we're not part of the Empire's Main Armies. If you came here thinking we're like those spoon-fed wastes in the Mystical Realm, killing a bit to retire on a throne above all the pathetic commoners, you were misinformed." He nodded to the door. "The Distorted Depth's Navy can't earn titles. Go now if you thought we could."
Surprisingly, two people did stand up and leave. Conlan wondered what kind of information they had received to try to do the elite cadet training camp. The Commander clapped his hands together to draw everyone's attention.
"Now, let me tell you a fact," he said with a smirk. "Something proven time and time again over the years at this training camp, that it has become an axiom. Less than half of you here today are going to go on to become Navy Officers."
Dubious and sceptical looks appeared on the faces of many, but the Commander placed his hands behind his back and paced the front of the room. "You're all here to earn a chance at wearing this," he said, pointing to Officer Stanhope's outfit, "uniform. Because if you complete the elite training camp, you don't need to spend a year as a cadet. You become full-fledged members of the Navy the instant you pin your new shiny name tags to your chest." He narrowed his eyes at them all. "Do you really think a benefit like that could be earned easily?"
Some people shifted awkwardly on the benches. The Commander's expression went cold. "Well it's not going to happen," he growled. He paced back to the centre of the room. "Many of you here come from nobility, or fallen nobility, and want strength to be able to keep being nobility. Some of you who aren't nobles want strength so you don't get pushed around by nobles. Either reason is fine. I don't care."
He stood straight and looked around the room again. "But revelling in the rewards given by the slaughter of thousands of creatures just to give you physical power will not help you here. There is a reason why Level 30 is the bare minimum to join," he stated. "Sure, stats might make you harder to kill. That's great. But you wouldn't be in danger of death if you stayed on the Navy's powerful ships and followed orders. No individual can have greater protection than within the walls of the warships, which can even block attacks from monsters stronger than King. And we don't need people with massive mana levels, acting as delicious, tasty lures for all the monsters out there."
He crossed his arms again. "We need people who can fight, and fight by using weapons that will actually kill the monsters. Not what fancy magic the System has chosen to bless you with. Unless several Rank-5s came out and decided to take out all the stops just to kill a few King-ranked monsters, they couldn't make a dent into the monster population of this region." He gave them a vicious grin. "There are thousands of King-ranked monsters out here."
Many in the audience turned pale, and some went sickly green. If greater-ranked monsters could destroy cities with enough time, King-ranked reached the level of devastation of wiping out entire nations. The average Rank-5 would never be able to defeat a King-ranked monster solo.
Commander Arkenast looked around the room again. "If you want to leave now, then do so. Remember, completing this training camp means you must stay in the Navy for at least twelve months, except in very special circumstances. I'll give you a minute to make your choice."
Conlan saw hesitation and determination warring on the faces of several. Not the curly-haired woman though, whose expression hadn't changed since the beginning, still cold and indifferent. The seconds ticked by, but eventually, the minute was over, and nobody had left.
The Commander smirked. "Well, even if you think you can do it now, who will actually be able to do it remains to be seen." He walked over to Officer Stanhope. "I don't have anything more to say, so I'll let Officer Stanhope take over." He went back to his original position as the younger Officer took a step forward.
"Then, I will begin informing you of what exactly a member of the Navy does." The Officer told them.
Conlan zoned out for the rest of it, content to observe the people he recognised from the past. He had listened in to the Commander's speech just to check if anything had changed, but it hadn't, and so he didn't feel the need to focus much on what the Officer was saying. About an hour later, the Officer finished up his speech.
The Officer nodded to the Commander. "Then, I think that will be all." He turned back to them. "Over the month, you will take lessons to learn more about how the Navy functions, but for today, you will only be getting used to your facilities." A clipboard suddenly appeared in his hands, and he pulled out a pen from his pocket. "Then, I'll take the roll, to see who has left and who has not out of those registered."
Conlan and Catherine waited patiently for their names to be called out. Conlan managed to relearn the last names of some of the people he had seen earlier but hadn't remembered fully.
I see. Drew's last name is Baxtimer. That Ruel guy's last name is Deirvetch.
He had a complicated expression when Liliana stood up to announce her presence as Liliana Mason. Her voice was still the same, soothing, and quiet.
Then it was her turn.
"Adrianna Riftmire?" the Officer asked.
The long-haired, tall woman stood up and spoke. "Present," she responded, in that same emotionless, apathetic tone he had heard her use for so many years. He had a small smile of nostalgia on his face when he heard her speak.
Then Conlan screwed up his nose when the man with the dark skin was called on.
And that Palin guy…. Zo-, Zoc'uraghets? How do I even pronounce that properly? It's ridiculous! No wonder I never remembered it.
But as the Officer put away his clipboard, Conlan looked around the room in confusion. Adrianna always had her closest subordinate, no matter what her rank became, but how come he couldn't see…. he hit his forehead.
Caspian Wharifin didn't become her subordinate until next year, duh. He was in the Navy for several years before us. Of course, he wouldn't be here yet, he hasn't been assigned to her.
Catherine gave him a questioning look but he dismissed it with a wave and returned his attention to the officer in front, who finished up reading the roll. "Then I will take you to your new facilities," he stated with authority.
He looked at the Commander as Commander Arkenast took a step forward with a smile on his face. "I may have been blunt, folks, but that doesn't mean I don't want you in the Navy. We'll take whoever wants to join. For all of our sakes, I hope you complete this camp." He gave them all a salute. "For the Eternal Authority of the Empire."
And with that, he marched out of the room. Officer Stanhope nodded to them all. "Follow me," he said.
…
The large cafeteria hall was filled with the sounds of cutlery and dishes as people sat at tables to eat dinner. Conlan, having lined up and received his tray of food, looked around the hall to see where he should eat. Catherine was behind him.
He had smiled when he saw his dinner. If there was one good thing he could say about the Navy, it would be the free access to large quantities of high-ranked monster meat. Even without fancy preparation, purified monster meat when it comes from a strong monster was delicious. His gaze paused on the figure of Adrianna sitting alone at one of the tables as she ate. He hesitated, contemplating sitting with her.
I… maybe not. Adrianna was even colder before she became Captain than afterwards, so she might start disliking me if I tried to talk to her. Maybe I could sit at the end of her table?
He glanced at Catherine next to him, who was watching the levitating form of Noirel Arventiel sleeping in the air with interest. That would probably be a bad idea. Catherine looked around and pointed out another figure at a table. "Should we sit next to her? She's pretty. I mean, not that Adrianna woman pretty, but still pretty."
Conlan followed her finger and grimaced slightly when he saw she was pointing to Liliana Mason.
Catherine observed Liliana for a moment. "Actually, she kinda looks a bit similar to that Adrianna woman," she muttered. "Less pretty though, and less standoffish."
He pretended he couldn't hear the red-haired girl next to him, and slowly began walking towards Liliana. "Sure, let's go say hi," he said. It would be suspicious if he avoided her, and regardless of their past together, she was an amazing water-element archer.
The brown-haired woman blinked and looked up in surprise as they slid in next to her. Conlan stuck his hand out with an easy-going smile on his face. "I'm Conlan Griffin," he stated.
She stared at him as Catherine sat down next to him and placed her tray on the table. Then Liliana's eyes widened and she hastily grabbed his hand to shake it. "O-Oh, hi. My name is Liliana Mason," she stammered awkwardly.
Catherine grinned and also held out her hand. "And my name's Catherine Sherwood."
"Hello…" she replied shyly.
Catherine smiled and leaned her chin on one hand. "Now that the name trading is over, I'll begin the real introductions. I'm 20 years old, I use a spear, and my affinities are fire and wind. I'm also great at fighting hand-to-hand." She smirked. "Now it's your turn."
Liliana blinked. "Oh, um…. okay," she began slowly. "I use the water element, I'm an archer, and I'm 23. I don't think I have any good talents…." she added hesitantly.
Catherine's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, you're 23? Seriously?" she asked.
The dark-haired girl blushed. "D-Do I look old?"
Catherine surprised her by vigorously shaking her head, her fiery red bob cut going everywhere. "No, not at all!" she exclaimed. "You look so young! I thought you were younger than me!" she leaned forward and clasped Liliana's hands in hers, startling her. "Tell me what you did to your skin," she demanded.
"Y-Young? Thank you, but… I didn't do anything…" the older girl said, nonplussed.
Conlan looked between them both with a slight smile on his face. "I'm feeling a little excluded here," he interjected.
Liliana glanced at him and then turned nervous, hastily shaking her hands. "I'm so sorry, I never meant to exclude you-"
Catherine gave him a dismissive wave. "You don't need to talk to him. He's not important." She gazed at Liliana with intensity. "No, he's not as important as finding out the answer to all. Do you use a special cream? Is it magic? Wait, don't tell me it's the water affinity. I'd be screwed if it was."
He watched them with a smile on his face as the confused Liliana was interrogated by the overly friendly Catherine. They continued making light conversation for a while as they ate before they heard some noise occurring at one of the tables near them. The Sect disciple with a white fan, Liao Tengfei, was talking loudly as several people near him turned to listen to his conversation, which he was obviously making loud on purpose.
"Now, as I had the privilege of entering the building for the elite cadet applications, I happened to overhear an interesting rumour," he announced, his eyes narrowing as he observed all the eavesdroppers. "Junior brother Meng, did you know that apparently, the Commander himself offered for an applicant to enter the elite training camp?"
Zhang Meng, the man beside Zhang Mingxia, frowned at the man with the fan but answered. "I have yet to hear of this rumour, senior brother Tengfei. Do you mean to tell us about this?"
Liao Tengfei smirked and collapsed his fan. "Of course, junior brother Meng. It is my duty to inform our lady of all the important ongoings surrounding her." He gestured to everyone in the hall with his fan. "The only question is, who is this talented figure? I dearly want to know what kind of person the Commander has seen such potential in. It is rumoured he has very high standards."
There were low mutters as people began discussing the rumours. "Maybe they're a powerful warrior?" someone spoke up.
"I heard they were a battlemage though," someone else said.
Liao Tengfei gazed around the room with a sly smile. He stood up and spread his arms dramatically. "Then, shall the one responsible for these rumours make themselves known? We are going to be fellow members of the same military, after all." He smirked. "A failure to take into account the strengths of each and every member of our group may conclude with our injury or worse."
The murmurs heightened as people began talking louder, and pointing fingers at each other. "Yeah, they should tell us who they are, so we know who would be best to follow," another voice said above the crowd.
Conlan snuck a glance at Adrianna, who was watching the proceedings, but who also didn't make a move. She returned to her meal, disinterested.
The noise grew louder as Liao Tengfei gazed around the room in mock curiosity. "No? They're so callous as to let all of us be injured because of their desire to withhold information? Are we supposed to let someone like that into the Navy?" the man called out.
Suddenly, a new, short figure with wispy ash-white hair descended down onto his table. Noirel Arventiel narrowed her brown eyes as she walked, barefoot, along the table and put her hands on her hips, staring down at the man with a glare. She opened her mouth.
"Shut thy hideously oversiz'd that from which thee speak thy coystrill," she said with the voice of a child, her tone containing an enchanting, sing-song lilt to it. "None shall like thee if 't be true thee tryeth to put on whispers and opinions 'mongst us. We careth not," she stated grandly.
Her accent and strange translation of her speech caught several people off guard, but Conlan was aware that was just how fae spoke. He knew with the System's translation they were far easier to understand than without the translation. They warped the meaning and pronunciation of their sentences so much that most didn't know if they were even speaking the same language as them.
Liao Tengfei's eyebrow twitched. "And what ability have you to say this to me?" he asked, his smile strained.
"Mine own instinct tells me thee speaketh falsities and half-truths daily," she announced proudly, crossing her arms as she looked down at him. She turned to look at the nearby eavesdroppers. "Mine fae heritage hast yet to fail me, and so I am warning thee all as well. This sir is nothing valorous," she proclaimed, pointing at him.
"But I believe I have heard you are only a half-fae," he interjected, narrowing his eyes as he opened his fan. "An individual with only an incomplete bloodline tries to judge me, the disciple of a Sect Elder of the Vast Longevity Flowing Glacier Sect?"
"Silence, oh sir of falsing tongues!" she exclaimed angrily. "Thy status hast nay hold ov'r me. Neither can thee useth to suppress us within the Empire's Navy. Thou art equal hither."
He glared at her and went to open his mouth to argue, but the dark-haired woman next to him slammed her cup down with a thud and glowered at Liao Tengfei.
"Be quiet, brother Tengfei. She is right." She took another sip of her drink. "It is me you shame with your over-vocalisation. We are here to show our Sect's willingness to work with the Empire as their steadfast allies. This dishonourable way of speaking greatly disappoints me," she said, narrowing her dark blue eyes at him.
He glared at her, but dipped his head and sat back down. "I apologise, junior sister Mingxia."
She gave him a frosty glare. "Senior sister Mingxia. Do not forget I hold higher status than you, for all we have spent many years together as disciples of the same sect."
A vein twitched, but he bowed again, not saying anything.
Zhang Mingxia huffed and abruptly stood up. She spread out a hand to gesture to the rest of the room. "The poor actions of my subordinates should not represent the attitude of my Sect. It is a great honour for me to exchange valuable words with you all, spending my time among the talented youth of the Empire. Do not fear that I may shun you, for I intend to act as my temporary station requires here at the navy. I wish to form cordial relationships with you all," she said, giving a slight nod to them. She straightened up, putting a wide smile on her face. "And fear not that we will endanger you all, for my presence here shows that I have pledged to defend the Empire against these treacherous beasts, these foul monstrous beings!" she exclaimed, raising a fist in the air. "I shall protect you where otherwise you fail! Again, fear not!"
And with that, she spun around and made her way to her quarters. There was silence for a moment, as everyone took in the statement of the weird Sect girl.
"The lady is strange in a way I am not," Noirel muttered.
Zhang Meng glared at her, but Liao Tengfei placed a hand on the taller man's shoulder and shook his head. He also glared at the half-fae but stood up with Zhang Meng, and left the cafeteria hall. Or seemed like they were going to.
Zhang Meng watched as Liao Tengfei walked closer to a girl with curly hair, a smile on his lips as he gazed at her with narrowed eyes from behind the fan. Adrianna noticed the shadow over her table and looked up, gazing at the man with her icy eyes.
Liao Tengfei smirked as he pointed at her with the fan. "I've noticed that Miss Riftmire here seems to be uncaring towards our little conversation earlier. Is it because you have no relation to it, or maybe you want to avoid scrutiny, hmm? Do you have something to hide?"
She gazed at him for a beat, and then ignored him, returning to her meal.
He narrowed his eyes but kept his smile on his face. "Come to think of it, are you perhaps a noble of some kind? I haven't heard of any family with quite such an… eye-catching colouration of hair as yours."
She sighed and looked up from her tray. Her low voice was as cold as her eyes. "I'm not a noble," she stated expressionlessly.
He tilted his head, tapping on his chin with his fan. "Ah, then a promising commoner talent. Then, we should introduce ourselves, should we not? Making valuable connections could never go wrong, and as fellow navy cadets, we should learn more about each other, to foster collaboration and well-meaning intent." He smirked.
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "No, that's wrong," she replied.
He gazed at her with slight curiosity. "How so?"
"Because a relationship with you is unimportant when it comes to being a member of the Navy," she responded. She narrowed her eyes, her voice frigid. "Are you so idiotic that you have forgotten that we'll be split up after this?"
His expression darkened, and he opened his mouth, but Adrianna abruptly pushed back her chair and stood up. She walked around the edge of the table and gazed at Liao Tengfei with her emotionless eyes.
"Do you have some miracle power of foresight that helps you determine who, out of the 2000 navy cadets after this camp, will be sorted into each group?"
His expression distorted, but she continued and took another step.
"Or is this some power play you're trying to do, plotting schemes to rile up the members of this camp and build your own little faction within the navy? Let me tell you this," she said, not a change in expression to be seen on her face. "Having a connection to someone I don't even know will be here by the end is utterly worthless to me. We can have this discussion again if we end up in the same squad next year, but otherwise...." She turned away. "Don't bother me again."
She picked up her plate and walked off to deposit it. Then she exited the hall without another glance back.
Liao Tengfei's expression was stormy as he glared after her, but he didn't follow her and instead exited the other side of the hall, heading to the men's quarters. Zhang Meng trailed after him, ignoring the looks of everyone they passed.
Conlan sighed and returned his attention back to his table. Events had gone exactly as he remembered, which gave him a feeling of relief. He expected things to change by the end of the month, but for now, everything should be the same.
"Hey, do you think maybe she's the one who got the Commander's offer?" Catherine whispered conspiringly to them, cupping a hand around her mouth for dramatic effect. She leaned back to glance down the corridor that Adrianna went down. "Although, she looked like she could've been a warrior, rather than the rumoured mage. She had the height for it."
"I'm…. not sure," Liliana said. "But before you guys came, one of the men came up to talk to her. I didn't catch what they said, but she tripped them over and walked off to go to another side of the room."
"Pffft."
They turned to look questioningly at Conlan as he tried to muffle his laugh. He gave them a wave as he coughed. "Sorry. I'm just imagining that scenario. That man must have been so angry, and really embarrassed."
And she has no patience for morons like always. Well, she wouldn't have been able to keep her crew in check for so many years if she wasn't like that.
"I'm not really sure if she's the mage either," he told them. "Maybe it's the fae girl?"
Although that was a lie. He already knew Adrianna had received the Commander's favour. And it seemed Liao Tengfei was aware of this too. He wasn't quite sure how the Heavenly Realm man had worked it out, but maybe he had seen her interacting with the Commander in some way. Conlan thought the man was quite stupid. He irritated someone the Commander had hopes for, had recognised as a talent, and tried to isolate her from the others in the training camp by making it seem like she was heartless. Except, she was. At least at this stage. And she was perfectly fine playing into that impression.
But the fact Conlan had seen Adrianna again after so long gave him a warm feeling as he participated in the conversation between Liliana and Catherine, having a relaxing time before they would need to rise early the next morning.
"Here it is," Catherine spoke to Liliana beside her. Dinner was over, and they had decided to go to bed in preparation for tomorrow. They were looking for the room they had placed their belongings in earlier.
Catherine slowly pushed the door open to reveal a room with eight beds. Only one person was in the room, sitting on a bed with her back against the wall and her feet kicked up. Adrianna was reading a book and didn't look up when they came in. Catherine walked over to her bed, which was right next to Adrianna's corner bed, and sat down, facing the opposite direction to the woman as Liliana sat down on her bed, which was next to Catherine's. Catherine stretched and began untying her bootlaces while Liliana started searching through her bags.
"So, eight girls. It feels like a lot, and not many at the same time," Catherine spoke conversationally.
"I had that thought too. I didn't expect the Empire to be so accepting of women in the military. Although I suppose magic would lessen the strength division…." Liliana muttered.
The last part was said much quieter, but Catherine heard it and became slightly suspicious. "Are… things different where you come from?" she asked.
Liliana blinked, and then she became panicky. "Oh, um, no, women enter the military quite often," she said, shaking her hands. "I just thought the Empire might be different. I mean, the men can marry multiple wives and all…."
Catherine felt her suspicions deepen and hesitantly tried to ask another question. "Liliana, do you perhaps-"
Her words were cut short when the door to their room opened, and several women came in.
Liliana turned back around to look at Catherine. "What was your question?" she asked.
Catherine eyed the girls and then shook her head. "Never mind. It wasn't important."
The other girls began finding their beds and sitting down. Catherine looked at them all with narrowed eyes and then grinned. She clapped her hands loudly once to draw all their attention.
"We're going to be living together for the next month, so what do you say we all introduce ourselves? I'm sure you might remember some of our names from the roll call, but it can't hurt to hear them again, can it?" There were some nods, so she started. "I'm Catherine Sherwood," she said with a smile.
"I'm Liliana Mason," Liliana said, trying to help Catherine.
"Esdras Blackbinder," one woman spoke up. She had blonde hair reaching her shoulders.
"I'm Bathilda Narigo," another said, this one with bright blue hair and blue eyes.
"Is it my turn? Then, I'm Melaina Cinderbrook. Hello everyone," said a third girl, who had long, lavender hair and a calm smile on her face.
Noticing Adrianna was still ignoring them, Catherine pointed her thumb at her. "Even if you haven't heard her name, you probably all saw her in the cafeteria. Her name was Adrianna Riftmire, from what I remember," Catherine said for them.
There was no acknowledgment from Adrianna besides the sound of a page turn as she continued reading her book. The other girls looked at her for a moment but turned their eyes away.
"Weren't there two others?" Bathilda spoke up, glancing at the two empty beds, one opposite Adrianna, and one opposite Catherine.
"I think one was called-" Liliana's words were paused as the door opened again, revealing Noirel entering the room.
"I see thou art all hither already," the ashy-haired fae said in her musical voice. She was short and wore a white shirt and flowy white trousers with trailing white ribbons floating around her. She walked barefoot.
Catherine noticed she seemed to pause slightly when she saw where her bed was, and she paled as she glanced at Adrianna. The fae girl stiffly walked over to her bed and stubbornly avoided looking at Adrianna as she sat cross-legged on it and began floating.
"I hath heard what thee wast talking about. I am Noirel Arventiel," she announced.
"Well, that's seven out of eight. But where's the Sect girl?" Esdras asked, looking around.
"Zhang Mingxia is 'cultivating among the spiritual energy rich glades of the outdoor training grounds to absorb the esoteric yin water element into her foundation to progress towards the next realm'," spoke up a new, cool voice.
The girls all turned to look at Adrianna, who hadn't looked up from her book. She must've sensed something was off about the gaze she was receiving though, because she blinked and raised her icy blue eyes to look at them. "Her words, not mine," she added. She returned to her book and ignored them.
Catherine had been surprised at how low her voice was, for a girl. It sounded pleasant, but contained little emotion and no warmth, like she was reading out facts off a page or apathetically announcing a test subject's death. She narrowed her eyes and grinned as she realised the girl had finally participated in conversation. She turned around on the bed to face Adrianna.
"And what do you do? I haven't been able to work out if you're a mage or a warrior."
Adrianna raised her eyes to gaze at Catherine. "Me?" she replied dubiously.
"Yeah." Catherine nodded.
Adrianna looked at her for a moment, before stating, "I'm an illusionist." She lowered her eyes back to her book.
Catherine smirked. She wouldn't be letting her off that easily. "So, you use illusion magic? Like, tricks of the eye and stuff?"
"That's the common understanding," the woman replied, not looking up.
"Can you show us some spells? You've got to be good if you entered the elite training camp," Catherine said, leaning forward on her bed.
Adrianna closed her book, glanced at Catherine, and then gazed about the room to view the other eager looks of the girls.
"I won't," she stated shortly, placing her book on the table beside her bed.
Ignoring the slightly disappointed looks of the others, and Catherine's narrowed eyes, Adrianna swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled out a thick jacket from one of her bags. Putting it on, she raised her icy eyes to the six girls watching her, besides Noirel, who avoided eye contact and addressed them.
"In case you haven't heard, we will be following the official schedule of the Navy here."
She stood up and began walking to the door of the room. Opening it, she glanced over her shoulder at them. "Tomorrow will be a 4 a.m. start. It wouldn't be a good idea to tire yourselves out by chatting late into the night." Then she shut the door behind her, leaving them in silence for a moment. They exchanged looks.
"I need to brush my teeth," Liliana muttered, breaking the silence.
All of a sudden, they hastily began sorting through their belongings to get ready for bed, with several rushing out to find the bathrooms for a shower, and others trying to find the clothes or other assorted objects they needed. There was a bustle throughout the room, as they became panicked.
It was 11 p.m.
The audience was silent for a moment, before low mutters broke out, the audience starting to discuss the implications of him being there. The Commander cocked an eyebrow at the noise, before tapping his foot against the ground.
RUMBLE!
The mutters were silenced as a thick oppressing force descended upon the room, the gravity seemingly multiplying as billowing waves of blue energy unfurled from the man at the front of the room. Conlan gritted his teeth as he tried to remain upright against the pressure, Catherine trying to do the same next to him, but was slowly buckling under the weight. The curly-haired woman several rows in front of him… was fine, if a bit pale.
The Commander smirked and shot her a glance, before the blue aura was withdrawn back into him, and everyone let out sighs of relief. He placed his hands behind his back. "Don't speak until I'm finished, otherwise I'll leave and you won't get to hear my words. Is that clear?" he said, narrowing his eyes at them.
There were several shaky nods, and he grinned. "Good. Now, firstly. That aura I let out was not even a quarter the strength of the auras you will have to stand up against when fighting monsters of behemothic size. I see two of you have already fainted," he said, pointing to two unfortunate young men, who collapsed on their benches. He gestured to Officer Stanhope. "Take them out and deposit them outside this room. They won't be part of this training camp anymore."
The Officer nodded, easily picking up the two men and slinging them over his shoulders to exit the room. The Commander looked at all the pale faces. "You think this is unfair?" he asked rhetorically.
Nobody answered, but several expressions on the audience's faces said it all. He smirked. "Nobody said it was fair that we fight the most dangerous creatures in the realms daily, while not even being able to earn a noble title because we're not part of the Empire's Main Armies. If you came here thinking we're like those spoon-fed wastes in the Mystical Realm, killing a bit to retire on a throne above all the pathetic commoners, you were misinformed." He nodded to the door. "The Distorted Depth's Navy can't earn titles. Go now if you thought we could."
Surprisingly, two people did stand up and leave. Conlan wondered what kind of information they had received to try to do the elite cadet training camp. The Commander clapped his hands together to draw everyone's attention.
"Now, let me tell you a fact," he said with a smirk. "Something proven time and time again over the years at this training camp, that it has become an axiom. Less than half of you here today are going to go on to become Navy Officers."
Dubious and sceptical looks appeared on the faces of many, but the Commander placed his hands behind his back and paced the front of the room. "You're all here to earn a chance at wearing this," he said, pointing to Officer Stanhope's outfit, "uniform. Because if you complete the elite training camp, you don't need to spend a year as a cadet. You become full-fledged members of the Navy the instant you pin your new shiny name tags to your chest." He narrowed his eyes at them all. "Do you really think a benefit like that could be earned easily?"
Some people shifted awkwardly on the benches. The Commander's expression went cold. "Well it's not going to happen," he growled. He paced back to the centre of the room. "Many of you here come from nobility, or fallen nobility, and want strength to be able to keep being nobility. Some of you who aren't nobles want strength so you don't get pushed around by nobles. Either reason is fine. I don't care."
He stood straight and looked around the room again. "But revelling in the rewards given by the slaughter of thousands of creatures just to give you physical power will not help you here. There is a reason why Level 30 is the bare minimum to join," he stated. "Sure, stats might make you harder to kill. That's great. But you wouldn't be in danger of death if you stayed on the Navy's powerful ships and followed orders. No individual can have greater protection than within the walls of the warships, which can even block attacks from monsters stronger than King. And we don't need people with massive mana levels, acting as delicious, tasty lures for all the monsters out there."
He crossed his arms again. "We need people who can fight, and fight by using weapons that will actually kill the monsters. Not what fancy magic the System has chosen to bless you with. Unless several Rank-5s came out and decided to take out all the stops just to kill a few King-ranked monsters, they couldn't make a dent into the monster population of this region." He gave them a vicious grin. "There are thousands of King-ranked monsters out here."
Many in the audience turned pale, and some went sickly green. If greater-ranked monsters could destroy cities with enough time, King-ranked reached the level of devastation of wiping out entire nations. The average Rank-5 would never be able to defeat a King-ranked monster solo.
Commander Arkenast looked around the room again. "If you want to leave now, then do so. Remember, completing this training camp means you must stay in the Navy for at least twelve months, except in very special circumstances. I'll give you a minute to make your choice."
Conlan saw hesitation and determination warring on the faces of several. Not the curly-haired woman though, whose expression hadn't changed since the beginning, still cold and indifferent. The seconds ticked by, but eventually, the minute was over, and nobody had left.
The Commander smirked. "Well, even if you think you can do it now, who will actually be able to do it remains to be seen." He walked over to Officer Stanhope. "I don't have anything more to say, so I'll let Officer Stanhope take over." He went back to his original position as the younger Officer took a step forward.
"Then, I will begin informing you of what exactly a member of the Navy does." The Officer told them.
Conlan zoned out for the rest of it, content to observe the people he recognised from the past. He had listened in to the Commander's speech just to check if anything had changed, but it hadn't, and so he didn't feel the need to focus much on what the Officer was saying. About an hour later, the Officer finished up his speech.
The Officer nodded to the Commander. "Then, I think that will be all." He turned back to them. "Over the month, you will take lessons to learn more about how the Navy functions, but for today, you will only be getting used to your facilities." A clipboard suddenly appeared in his hands, and he pulled out a pen from his pocket. "Then, I'll take the roll, to see who has left and who has not out of those registered."
Conlan and Catherine waited patiently for their names to be called out. Conlan managed to relearn the last names of some of the people he had seen earlier but hadn't remembered fully.
I see. Drew's last name is Baxtimer. That Ruel guy's last name is Deirvetch.
He had a complicated expression when Liliana stood up to announce her presence as Liliana Mason. Her voice was still the same, soothing, and quiet.
Then it was her turn.
"Adrianna Riftmire?" the Officer asked.
The long-haired, tall woman stood up and spoke. "Present," she responded, in that same emotionless, apathetic tone he had heard her use for so many years. He had a small smile of nostalgia on his face when he heard her speak.
Then Conlan screwed up his nose when the man with the dark skin was called on.
And that Palin guy…. Zo-, Zoc'uraghets? How do I even pronounce that properly? It's ridiculous! No wonder I never remembered it.
But as the Officer put away his clipboard, Conlan looked around the room in confusion. Adrianna always had her closest subordinate, no matter what her rank became, but how come he couldn't see…. he hit his forehead.
Caspian Wharifin didn't become her subordinate until next year, duh. He was in the Navy for several years before us. Of course, he wouldn't be here yet, he hasn't been assigned to her.
Catherine gave him a questioning look but he dismissed it with a wave and returned his attention to the officer in front, who finished up reading the roll. "Then I will take you to your new facilities," he stated with authority.
He looked at the Commander as Commander Arkenast took a step forward with a smile on his face. "I may have been blunt, folks, but that doesn't mean I don't want you in the Navy. We'll take whoever wants to join. For all of our sakes, I hope you complete this camp." He gave them all a salute. "For the Eternal Authority of the Empire."
And with that, he marched out of the room. Officer Stanhope nodded to them all. "Follow me," he said.
…
The large cafeteria hall was filled with the sounds of cutlery and dishes as people sat at tables to eat dinner. Conlan, having lined up and received his tray of food, looked around the hall to see where he should eat. Catherine was behind him.
He had smiled when he saw his dinner. If there was one good thing he could say about the Navy, it would be the free access to large quantities of high-ranked monster meat. Even without fancy preparation, purified monster meat when it comes from a strong monster was delicious. His gaze paused on the figure of Adrianna sitting alone at one of the tables as she ate. He hesitated, contemplating sitting with her.
I… maybe not. Adrianna was even colder before she became Captain than afterwards, so she might start disliking me if I tried to talk to her. Maybe I could sit at the end of her table?
He glanced at Catherine next to him, who was watching the levitating form of Noirel Arventiel sleeping in the air with interest. That would probably be a bad idea. Catherine looked around and pointed out another figure at a table. "Should we sit next to her? She's pretty. I mean, not that Adrianna woman pretty, but still pretty."
Conlan followed her finger and grimaced slightly when he saw she was pointing to Liliana Mason.
Catherine observed Liliana for a moment. "Actually, she kinda looks a bit similar to that Adrianna woman," she muttered. "Less pretty though, and less standoffish."
He pretended he couldn't hear the red-haired girl next to him, and slowly began walking towards Liliana. "Sure, let's go say hi," he said. It would be suspicious if he avoided her, and regardless of their past together, she was an amazing water-element archer.
The brown-haired woman blinked and looked up in surprise as they slid in next to her. Conlan stuck his hand out with an easy-going smile on his face. "I'm Conlan Griffin," he stated.
She stared at him as Catherine sat down next to him and placed her tray on the table. Then Liliana's eyes widened and she hastily grabbed his hand to shake it. "O-Oh, hi. My name is Liliana Mason," she stammered awkwardly.
Catherine grinned and also held out her hand. "And my name's Catherine Sherwood."
"Hello…" she replied shyly.
Catherine smiled and leaned her chin on one hand. "Now that the name trading is over, I'll begin the real introductions. I'm 20 years old, I use a spear, and my affinities are fire and wind. I'm also great at fighting hand-to-hand." She smirked. "Now it's your turn."
Liliana blinked. "Oh, um…. okay," she began slowly. "I use the water element, I'm an archer, and I'm 23. I don't think I have any good talents…." she added hesitantly.
Catherine's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, you're 23? Seriously?" she asked.
The dark-haired girl blushed. "D-Do I look old?"
Catherine surprised her by vigorously shaking her head, her fiery red bob cut going everywhere. "No, not at all!" she exclaimed. "You look so young! I thought you were younger than me!" she leaned forward and clasped Liliana's hands in hers, startling her. "Tell me what you did to your skin," she demanded.
"Y-Young? Thank you, but… I didn't do anything…" the older girl said, nonplussed.
Conlan looked between them both with a slight smile on his face. "I'm feeling a little excluded here," he interjected.
Liliana glanced at him and then turned nervous, hastily shaking her hands. "I'm so sorry, I never meant to exclude you-"
Catherine gave him a dismissive wave. "You don't need to talk to him. He's not important." She gazed at Liliana with intensity. "No, he's not as important as finding out the answer to all. Do you use a special cream? Is it magic? Wait, don't tell me it's the water affinity. I'd be screwed if it was."
He watched them with a smile on his face as the confused Liliana was interrogated by the overly friendly Catherine. They continued making light conversation for a while as they ate before they heard some noise occurring at one of the tables near them. The Sect disciple with a white fan, Liao Tengfei, was talking loudly as several people near him turned to listen to his conversation, which he was obviously making loud on purpose.
"Now, as I had the privilege of entering the building for the elite cadet applications, I happened to overhear an interesting rumour," he announced, his eyes narrowing as he observed all the eavesdroppers. "Junior brother Meng, did you know that apparently, the Commander himself offered for an applicant to enter the elite training camp?"
Zhang Meng, the man beside Zhang Mingxia, frowned at the man with the fan but answered. "I have yet to hear of this rumour, senior brother Tengfei. Do you mean to tell us about this?"
Liao Tengfei smirked and collapsed his fan. "Of course, junior brother Meng. It is my duty to inform our lady of all the important ongoings surrounding her." He gestured to everyone in the hall with his fan. "The only question is, who is this talented figure? I dearly want to know what kind of person the Commander has seen such potential in. It is rumoured he has very high standards."
There were low mutters as people began discussing the rumours. "Maybe they're a powerful warrior?" someone spoke up.
"I heard they were a battlemage though," someone else said.
Liao Tengfei gazed around the room with a sly smile. He stood up and spread his arms dramatically. "Then, shall the one responsible for these rumours make themselves known? We are going to be fellow members of the same military, after all." He smirked. "A failure to take into account the strengths of each and every member of our group may conclude with our injury or worse."
The murmurs heightened as people began talking louder, and pointing fingers at each other. "Yeah, they should tell us who they are, so we know who would be best to follow," another voice said above the crowd.
Conlan snuck a glance at Adrianna, who was watching the proceedings, but who also didn't make a move. She returned to her meal, disinterested.
The noise grew louder as Liao Tengfei gazed around the room in mock curiosity. "No? They're so callous as to let all of us be injured because of their desire to withhold information? Are we supposed to let someone like that into the Navy?" the man called out.
Suddenly, a new, short figure with wispy ash-white hair descended down onto his table. Noirel Arventiel narrowed her brown eyes as she walked, barefoot, along the table and put her hands on her hips, staring down at the man with a glare. She opened her mouth.
"Shut thy hideously oversiz'd that from which thee speak thy coystrill," she said with the voice of a child, her tone containing an enchanting, sing-song lilt to it. "None shall like thee if 't be true thee tryeth to put on whispers and opinions 'mongst us. We careth not," she stated grandly.
Her accent and strange translation of her speech caught several people off guard, but Conlan was aware that was just how fae spoke. He knew with the System's translation they were far easier to understand than without the translation. They warped the meaning and pronunciation of their sentences so much that most didn't know if they were even speaking the same language as them.
Liao Tengfei's eyebrow twitched. "And what ability have you to say this to me?" he asked, his smile strained.
"Mine own instinct tells me thee speaketh falsities and half-truths daily," she announced proudly, crossing her arms as she looked down at him. She turned to look at the nearby eavesdroppers. "Mine fae heritage hast yet to fail me, and so I am warning thee all as well. This sir is nothing valorous," she proclaimed, pointing at him.
"But I believe I have heard you are only a half-fae," he interjected, narrowing his eyes as he opened his fan. "An individual with only an incomplete bloodline tries to judge me, the disciple of a Sect Elder of the Vast Longevity Flowing Glacier Sect?"
"Silence, oh sir of falsing tongues!" she exclaimed angrily. "Thy status hast nay hold ov'r me. Neither can thee useth to suppress us within the Empire's Navy. Thou art equal hither."
He glared at her and went to open his mouth to argue, but the dark-haired woman next to him slammed her cup down with a thud and glowered at Liao Tengfei.
"Be quiet, brother Tengfei. She is right." She took another sip of her drink. "It is me you shame with your over-vocalisation. We are here to show our Sect's willingness to work with the Empire as their steadfast allies. This dishonourable way of speaking greatly disappoints me," she said, narrowing her dark blue eyes at him.
He glared at her, but dipped his head and sat back down. "I apologise, junior sister Mingxia."
She gave him a frosty glare. "Senior sister Mingxia. Do not forget I hold higher status than you, for all we have spent many years together as disciples of the same sect."
A vein twitched, but he bowed again, not saying anything.
Zhang Mingxia huffed and abruptly stood up. She spread out a hand to gesture to the rest of the room. "The poor actions of my subordinates should not represent the attitude of my Sect. It is a great honour for me to exchange valuable words with you all, spending my time among the talented youth of the Empire. Do not fear that I may shun you, for I intend to act as my temporary station requires here at the navy. I wish to form cordial relationships with you all," she said, giving a slight nod to them. She straightened up, putting a wide smile on her face. "And fear not that we will endanger you all, for my presence here shows that I have pledged to defend the Empire against these treacherous beasts, these foul monstrous beings!" she exclaimed, raising a fist in the air. "I shall protect you where otherwise you fail! Again, fear not!"
And with that, she spun around and made her way to her quarters. There was silence for a moment, as everyone took in the statement of the weird Sect girl.
"The lady is strange in a way I am not," Noirel muttered.
Zhang Meng glared at her, but Liao Tengfei placed a hand on the taller man's shoulder and shook his head. He also glared at the half-fae but stood up with Zhang Meng, and left the cafeteria hall. Or seemed like they were going to.
Zhang Meng watched as Liao Tengfei walked closer to a girl with curly hair, a smile on his lips as he gazed at her with narrowed eyes from behind the fan. Adrianna noticed the shadow over her table and looked up, gazing at the man with her icy eyes.
Liao Tengfei smirked as he pointed at her with the fan. "I've noticed that Miss Riftmire here seems to be uncaring towards our little conversation earlier. Is it because you have no relation to it, or maybe you want to avoid scrutiny, hmm? Do you have something to hide?"
She gazed at him for a beat, and then ignored him, returning to her meal.
He narrowed his eyes but kept his smile on his face. "Come to think of it, are you perhaps a noble of some kind? I haven't heard of any family with quite such an… eye-catching colouration of hair as yours."
She sighed and looked up from her tray. Her low voice was as cold as her eyes. "I'm not a noble," she stated expressionlessly.
He tilted his head, tapping on his chin with his fan. "Ah, then a promising commoner talent. Then, we should introduce ourselves, should we not? Making valuable connections could never go wrong, and as fellow navy cadets, we should learn more about each other, to foster collaboration and well-meaning intent." He smirked.
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "No, that's wrong," she replied.
He gazed at her with slight curiosity. "How so?"
"Because a relationship with you is unimportant when it comes to being a member of the Navy," she responded. She narrowed her eyes, her voice frigid. "Are you so idiotic that you have forgotten that we'll be split up after this?"
His expression darkened, and he opened his mouth, but Adrianna abruptly pushed back her chair and stood up. She walked around the edge of the table and gazed at Liao Tengfei with her emotionless eyes.
"Do you have some miracle power of foresight that helps you determine who, out of the 2000 navy cadets after this camp, will be sorted into each group?"
His expression distorted, but she continued and took another step.
"Or is this some power play you're trying to do, plotting schemes to rile up the members of this camp and build your own little faction within the navy? Let me tell you this," she said, not a change in expression to be seen on her face. "Having a connection to someone I don't even know will be here by the end is utterly worthless to me. We can have this discussion again if we end up in the same squad next year, but otherwise...." She turned away. "Don't bother me again."
She picked up her plate and walked off to deposit it. Then she exited the hall without another glance back.
Liao Tengfei's expression was stormy as he glared after her, but he didn't follow her and instead exited the other side of the hall, heading to the men's quarters. Zhang Meng trailed after him, ignoring the looks of everyone they passed.
Conlan sighed and returned his attention back to his table. Events had gone exactly as he remembered, which gave him a feeling of relief. He expected things to change by the end of the month, but for now, everything should be the same.
"Hey, do you think maybe she's the one who got the Commander's offer?" Catherine whispered conspiringly to them, cupping a hand around her mouth for dramatic effect. She leaned back to glance down the corridor that Adrianna went down. "Although, she looked like she could've been a warrior, rather than the rumoured mage. She had the height for it."
"I'm…. not sure," Liliana said. "But before you guys came, one of the men came up to talk to her. I didn't catch what they said, but she tripped them over and walked off to go to another side of the room."
"Pffft."
They turned to look questioningly at Conlan as he tried to muffle his laugh. He gave them a wave as he coughed. "Sorry. I'm just imagining that scenario. That man must have been so angry, and really embarrassed."
And she has no patience for morons like always. Well, she wouldn't have been able to keep her crew in check for so many years if she wasn't like that.
"I'm not really sure if she's the mage either," he told them. "Maybe it's the fae girl?"
Although that was a lie. He already knew Adrianna had received the Commander's favour. And it seemed Liao Tengfei was aware of this too. He wasn't quite sure how the Heavenly Realm man had worked it out, but maybe he had seen her interacting with the Commander in some way. Conlan thought the man was quite stupid. He irritated someone the Commander had hopes for, had recognised as a talent, and tried to isolate her from the others in the training camp by making it seem like she was heartless. Except, she was. At least at this stage. And she was perfectly fine playing into that impression.
But the fact Conlan had seen Adrianna again after so long gave him a warm feeling as he participated in the conversation between Liliana and Catherine, having a relaxing time before they would need to rise early the next morning.
"Here it is," Catherine spoke to Liliana beside her. Dinner was over, and they had decided to go to bed in preparation for tomorrow. They were looking for the room they had placed their belongings in earlier.
Catherine slowly pushed the door open to reveal a room with eight beds. Only one person was in the room, sitting on a bed with her back against the wall and her feet kicked up. Adrianna was reading a book and didn't look up when they came in. Catherine walked over to her bed, which was right next to Adrianna's corner bed, and sat down, facing the opposite direction to the woman as Liliana sat down on her bed, which was next to Catherine's. Catherine stretched and began untying her bootlaces while Liliana started searching through her bags.
"So, eight girls. It feels like a lot, and not many at the same time," Catherine spoke conversationally.
"I had that thought too. I didn't expect the Empire to be so accepting of women in the military. Although I suppose magic would lessen the strength division…." Liliana muttered.
The last part was said much quieter, but Catherine heard it and became slightly suspicious. "Are… things different where you come from?" she asked.
Liliana blinked, and then she became panicky. "Oh, um, no, women enter the military quite often," she said, shaking her hands. "I just thought the Empire might be different. I mean, the men can marry multiple wives and all…."
Catherine felt her suspicions deepen and hesitantly tried to ask another question. "Liliana, do you perhaps-"
Her words were cut short when the door to their room opened, and several women came in.
Liliana turned back around to look at Catherine. "What was your question?" she asked.
Catherine eyed the girls and then shook her head. "Never mind. It wasn't important."
The other girls began finding their beds and sitting down. Catherine looked at them all with narrowed eyes and then grinned. She clapped her hands loudly once to draw all their attention.
"We're going to be living together for the next month, so what do you say we all introduce ourselves? I'm sure you might remember some of our names from the roll call, but it can't hurt to hear them again, can it?" There were some nods, so she started. "I'm Catherine Sherwood," she said with a smile.
"I'm Liliana Mason," Liliana said, trying to help Catherine.
"Esdras Blackbinder," one woman spoke up. She had blonde hair reaching her shoulders.
"I'm Bathilda Narigo," another said, this one with bright blue hair and blue eyes.
"Is it my turn? Then, I'm Melaina Cinderbrook. Hello everyone," said a third girl, who had long, lavender hair and a calm smile on her face.
Noticing Adrianna was still ignoring them, Catherine pointed her thumb at her. "Even if you haven't heard her name, you probably all saw her in the cafeteria. Her name was Adrianna Riftmire, from what I remember," Catherine said for them.
There was no acknowledgment from Adrianna besides the sound of a page turn as she continued reading her book. The other girls looked at her for a moment but turned their eyes away.
"Weren't there two others?" Bathilda spoke up, glancing at the two empty beds, one opposite Adrianna, and one opposite Catherine.
"I think one was called-" Liliana's words were paused as the door opened again, revealing Noirel entering the room.
"I see thou art all hither already," the ashy-haired fae said in her musical voice. She was short and wore a white shirt and flowy white trousers with trailing white ribbons floating around her. She walked barefoot.
Catherine noticed she seemed to pause slightly when she saw where her bed was, and she paled as she glanced at Adrianna. The fae girl stiffly walked over to her bed and stubbornly avoided looking at Adrianna as she sat cross-legged on it and began floating.
"I hath heard what thee wast talking about. I am Noirel Arventiel," she announced.
"Well, that's seven out of eight. But where's the Sect girl?" Esdras asked, looking around.
"Zhang Mingxia is 'cultivating among the spiritual energy rich glades of the outdoor training grounds to absorb the esoteric yin water element into her foundation to progress towards the next realm'," spoke up a new, cool voice.
The girls all turned to look at Adrianna, who hadn't looked up from her book. She must've sensed something was off about the gaze she was receiving though, because she blinked and raised her icy blue eyes to look at them. "Her words, not mine," she added. She returned to her book and ignored them.
Catherine had been surprised at how low her voice was, for a girl. It sounded pleasant, but contained little emotion and no warmth, like she was reading out facts off a page or apathetically announcing a test subject's death. She narrowed her eyes and grinned as she realised the girl had finally participated in conversation. She turned around on the bed to face Adrianna.
"And what do you do? I haven't been able to work out if you're a mage or a warrior."
Adrianna raised her eyes to gaze at Catherine. "Me?" she replied dubiously.
"Yeah." Catherine nodded.
Adrianna looked at her for a moment, before stating, "I'm an illusionist." She lowered her eyes back to her book.
Catherine smirked. She wouldn't be letting her off that easily. "So, you use illusion magic? Like, tricks of the eye and stuff?"
"That's the common understanding," the woman replied, not looking up.
"Can you show us some spells? You've got to be good if you entered the elite training camp," Catherine said, leaning forward on her bed.
Adrianna closed her book, glanced at Catherine, and then gazed about the room to view the other eager looks of the girls.
"I won't," she stated shortly, placing her book on the table beside her bed.
Ignoring the slightly disappointed looks of the others, and Catherine's narrowed eyes, Adrianna swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled out a thick jacket from one of her bags. Putting it on, she raised her icy eyes to the six girls watching her, besides Noirel, who avoided eye contact and addressed them.
"In case you haven't heard, we will be following the official schedule of the Navy here."
She stood up and began walking to the door of the room. Opening it, she glanced over her shoulder at them. "Tomorrow will be a 4 a.m. start. It wouldn't be a good idea to tire yourselves out by chatting late into the night." Then she shut the door behind her, leaving them in silence for a moment. They exchanged looks.
"I need to brush my teeth," Liliana muttered, breaking the silence.
All of a sudden, they hastily began sorting through their belongings to get ready for bed, with several rushing out to find the bathrooms for a shower, and others trying to find the clothes or other assorted objects they needed. There was a bustle throughout the room, as they became panicked.
It was 11 p.m.
