Fifty people were gathered at the entrance of the gate: twenty a part of the First Division and twenty from the Second Division, Andeen’s team. Then the BMM members, Cashel and Amia, the five ARM hunters, two reporters and General Rain on standby.
She was in the corner, sitting on one of the crates while her deputy stood before her, a large case open before her with random objects inside.
Andeen was in a combat suit, and her coat tied firmly around her waist, while her staff rested at the edge of the case, with a pair of gloves between her lips.
"How many of them need mana replenishing potions?" she asked, her voice muffled while her hands worked with the small vial in a cut-out section of the case.
Her deputy glanced behind her, counted their soldiers and then turned back to Andeen. "We have seven."
Andeen nodded. She summoned her inventory and took out a huge jar filled with blue glowing liquid. She carefully poured the contents into fourteen glass vials, each one floating into the air after being filled. Then she placed the jar back in her inventory and took out another with a red strange liquid releasing steam.
She filled up another fourteen vials, returned the jar and brought out a much larger one filled with a milk-like liquid.
She shoved the other random items aside, spread out a hundred vials in the case and began filling up each carefully and incredibly fast. Once she was done she kept the jar, closed her inventory and exhaled.
"A hundred healing potions, blood amplifiers for the assassins and mana replenishing for the mages," she looked up at her with a small smile. "Doesn’t your arm hurt?"
Her deputy, Steya Von Atlheam, an A-rank tank and mage, shook her head. She unfolded her other two arms from behind her and grinned.
"I have four arms. I’m much stronger than you are in terms of strength," she bragged joyously and carefully gathered the floating vials around her.
She handed the case back to Andeen, who placed it down beside her with a grunt and she crossed her arms.
There were still a few vials, spare daggers, sharpeners for the blades, multiple magazines and a familiar-looking whip in the corner.
She raised her head and glanced around, her ears mapping out the people within the warehouse. Her head finally angled upwards to the second floor overlooking the ground floor and she found him.
However, she frowned instantly. That woman was beside him as well.
Annoyed, she grabbed her staff, shut the case and carefully lifted off the ground.
Cashel, who saw this from where he was, nearly choked on the bottle of water in his hands. He placed it carelessly on the railings and hurried over to where Andeen would float up to.
Once she came up he took her hands and she accepted it like she expected it, then he helped her over the railings only to be pulled into a tight hug.
"Andeen?" Cashel’s voice was muffled, buried between her breasts.
Andeen, on the other hand, had a very displeased frown on her face. She glared at Amia, who already seemed wary of Andeen.
Then she grabbed Cashel’s head and looked up at him.
"Andeen, what’s wrong? You don’t like flying. Why?"
"Who is she?" she suddenly asked, making Cashel raise a brow. It took a second for him to realise who she was talking about.
He laughed softly and gestured at the masked Amia. "That’s my supervisor... for now. She’ll be guiding me through the dungeon since it’s my first time."
Andeen was silent for a moment too long that Cashel had already figured out what she was thinking. He almost laughed at the thought of it. Instead he kissed her forehead and embraced her.
"You have nothing to worry about, jeez," he laughed. "It’s nice to see you jealous but you need to be focused on your mission. Can’t have you getting distracted because I’m here."
From the corner of his eyes he spotted one of the soldiers passing by, so he carefully hid the mask in his hand and turned back to her.
"So are you ready?" He shook her arms playfully. "Our first mission together."
Andeen pouted, turning her head away. "You have to stay close to me. If I don’t sense you around me I’ll drop everything and follow you, understood?"
Cashel laughed nervously, glancing briefly at Amia who just stared at them, but he could guess what was going on in her mind.
He patted Andeen’s head and stepped back. "I’ll be moving with the First Division, so we can’t really stay together," he paused. "But trust me, I’ll come running once you need me."
Andeen reluctantly and slowly nodded. Then General Rain’s voice echoed through the entire building, calling everyone to the front of the gate.
She exhaled, frustrated and annoyed, but she eventually let go of his hands, but not without giving him a hug. Then she leapt over the railings and landed in the same spot she lifted off from, picked up the case and hurried to where her team was.
Cashel watched her till she was out of sight before turning to Amia. "You seem to have a lot to say," he began as he summoned his inventory and took out the blank white mask with a spiral design carved into it. It had no eye holes as the mask was already easy to see through from his side.
It was perfect since he wouldn’t have anyone guessing his identity by his eyes.
Amia left her spot and came over to his side. She looked at Andeen’s division for a moment and then smirked. "You’re surprisingly a good husband."
"Did you imagine something else?"
Amia wasn’t surprised by his change of tone. She only laughed softly and took out a phone. "I thought you’d be like the other awakened men with wives. It’s easy to tell your age and experience with women from that..."
"Experience with what?" Cashel interrupted, the mask halfway up his face as he turned to her.
Amia shrugged. "What? You can’t blame me for your own behaviours, or do you mean to tell me you’re inexperienced?"
Cashel was dumbfounded. His lips parted to say something, but when he spotted the First Division Commander and his deputy heading up the stairs he bit his lips and turned away.
"Don’t make such assumptions. What if she hears you?" He sounded annoyed as he placed the mask over his face and waited till it sealed before lowering his hands.
Amia scoffed. "She already shows her displeasure toward me..." She trailed off before suddenly tilting her head. "That reminds me. Andeen’s her name, right? Do you know how she became blind?"
How she became blind?
He knew she had been blind for years and whenever he asked, she would always dismiss it or cry or laugh, saying it was a memory she had no intention of visiting.
He knew how she fought.
He knew what she liked, what annoyed her, what made her smile when she thought nobody was watching.
But that?
Before he could answer, or even decide whether he wanted to, the two men approached them.
"Bishop. Amia."
The first man greeted them with a small nod before extending his hand toward Cashel.
"Commander Theo." Cashel shook his hand.
He was a middle-aged man with a composed expression and the kind of presence that made it obvious he was accustomed to being obeyed. Cashel studied him for a moment, wondering what kind of relationship he had with Andeen.
Then his gaze shifted to the man standing beside him.
The deputy towered over Commander Theo, his red hair standing out despite the white uniform. His expression was stern, almost blank, but his eyes were particularly hostile and sharpened noticeably whenever they landed on Amia.
Cashel noticed immediately. ’Interesting,’ he thought internally, glad that this suspicious bastard was his target.
"And this is my Deputy, Gerald Jones."