"This is the ninety-second mission of the SAMD. Nine AM, first day of the week," one of the reporters began as everyone gathered in their respective teams before the gate.
The ARM hunters stood alongside the First Division, each dressed in their own styled combat suits, while others wore simpler equipment.
Amia and Cashel stood behind the lineup. She wore a red dress coat over her suit, while Cashel had his coat tied around his waist, matching Andeen, who stood at the front of the Second Division.
General Rain stepped onto the platform before them. A flamethrower and a bow with several arrows were strapped across her back, while she wore a strange-looking dress that appeared slightly burnt. Beneath it were leather tights, and her SAMD beret rested firmly on her head.
"Is everyone ready?" she shouted at the top of her voice.
"Yes, General!"
The entire crowd answered in unison, their voices echoing through the building.
Rain nodded with a grin before turning toward the gate.
"Alright, let’s go! We have three days to clear the entire dungeon, and I want all of you back in one piece. If you’re unable to fight, find one of the mages or your commanders and return to the meeting point. Understood?"
"Yes, Ma’am!"
"Then let’s go!"
Roars and cries of war erupted from the crowd.
Cashel nearly flinched, He had expected them to behave like the regular military; disciplined, organized and civilized.
Instead, they sounded like a pack of beasts being released from a cage.
Even Andeen, whom he had expected to remain calm, was laughing.
Soon, the entire crowd charged through the gate, right behind Rain, who was somehow even more rowdy than everyone else.
Cashel couldn’t help but admit that the SAMD was probably one of the few places where awakened individuals could actually let loose and use their abilities without worrying about being immediately apprehended.
That was the thing about awakened abilities. Registered or not, anyone who deliberately misused theirs could be penalized.
Those with special immunity, however, had to belong to organizations such as the SAMD, ARM, or certain divisions of the BMM.
Shaking his head, Cashel adjusted the case on his back and followed the First Division through the gate.
The ARM members followed as well, calmly observing the military personnel around them. Yet Cashel could see it in their eyes.
They wanted to let loose too.
The moment Cashel stepped through the gate, a bright blue light blinded him and he instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes.
Then the light faded and what appeared before him was a dark sky stretched above him.
Almost immediately, the stench of rotting meat, dust and moss invaded his nose making him scrunch it.
Cashel narrowed his eyes.
The gate had transported them to a cliff overlooking a massive abandoned city, then his gaze slowly traveled across the landscape.
Collapsed towers leaned at unnatural angles. Cracked streets stretched between ruined buildings, some so badly damaged that calling the holes potholes felt generous, they were like...like...a craved in erosion.
Then he noticed the fog.
A thick layer of gray fog covered the lower ground, rising nearly to the height of a person.
Something resembling a gigantic nest clung to the side of what appeared to be a radio station.
And scattered throughout the abandoned city were strange beasts, moving in pairs and groups of three.
There were too many things happening down there.
Cashel felt goosebumps crawl across his skin, then his gaze shifted slightly.
Gerald was looking at him.
No.
Not him.
Andeen.
And there was nothing friendly about the man’s expression.
Cashel’s eyes narrowed, before he could decide what to make of it, someone smacked him hard across the back.
He stumbled forward with a groan. "What the..."
"Keep your head up and your guard high. Understood?" Amia said, already moving past him toward the First Division.
Cashel straightened and pushed his fingers through his hair, deliberately messing it up for no particular reason.
Then he walked toward the edge of the cliff.
The First Division would take the eastern sectors.
The Second Division, led by Andeen, would push toward the center, where the densest mana readings had been recorded.
And since Andeen’s team had more mages, along with Andeen herself, it was the obvious choice.
Before departing, Andeen suddenly turned around as though searching for something.
Her head shifted once, then again and she found him.
Without saying anything, she walked straight toward him.
Cashel barely had time to react before her fingers caught his sleeve and pulled him toward a secluded corner.
Once they were out of sight, she reached up and pulled up his mask slightly.
"You’re supposed to be heading out."
Cashel chuckled and nodded, "I know.
’And you’re not supposed to be spotted with me.’ he thought.
He moved them farther away from the group. There was no way he could hide his identity if she kept coming over to him like this.
Not that he minded.
Andeen clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed, "This is not just any dungeon and it’s not as safe as the last one."
Cashel nodded. He couldn’t help but agree with her. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Gerald still watching them. For some reason, the man’s expression became even more sinister when Andeen touched him.
Gerald kept looking at Andeen and when he wasn’t watching her, his attention shifted toward Amia. He wasn’t supposed to know Amia.
Unless there was something between them that Cashel didn’t know about. But Amia barely acknowledged anyone here, let alone Gerald.
The only person she seemed remotely interested in was Andeen.
Cashel tore his gaze away from the suspicious man, he smiled and leaned closer until their foreheads nearly touched.
"Want to put a tag on me?"
"Yes, I’d much rather not have you here."
"Andeen, we’re not doing this again. I’m not a regular human. I can protect myself, you know. Besides, I’m supposed to be the one worrying."
He meant it.
This was the first time he had actually felt anxious about leaving Andeen behind.
Now that he knew the kind of missions she had been taking before he arrived, the thought of her walking into a dungeon without him didn’t sit well with him.
She shook her head, "I’m strong enough to protect myself..."
"Then show me, and I’ll reward you afterward."
Andeen bit her lip, clearly tempted to argue further. But the stares they were receiving, even if only briefly, made Cashel’s skin crawl.
She leaned forward, pressed a brief kiss against his cheek, then stepped away.
"Don’t take unnecessary risks."
Before Cashel could answer, she turned and left.
With her deputy beside her, Andeen jumped from the cliff, the four-armed soldier following with a grin.
General Rain followed after them, shouting for Andeen to be careful.
Cashel watched Andeen’s team begin their descent along the cliff path. When she landed briefly on a small platform, she tapped her staff like she was sending a signal and her team descended past her, laughing as they continued down.
Cashel watched until they disappeared farther into the city. Then he noticed something the First Division had already started filing out
But Gerald hadn’t. The man remained behind.
Sure, he was in charge of the ARM contingent, but he should have been moving with Commander Theo and the rest of the division.
Instead, without a word, Gerald broke away from the main group. He cut left along a narrower ridge overlooking the same path Andeen’s team had taken.
And his red hair was easy to track even in the low light.
The rest of the First Division continued forward under Commander Theo’s orders, none of them questioning their deputy’s sudden change of route.
Cashel’s eyes narrowed. He hastily adjusted his mask, gave Amia a short nod and jumped down after him.
Keeping a few dozen meters between them, he followed Gerald along the ridge, staying low and using the broken rocks for cover since he could fly it was easy for the bastard to navigate himself.
Gerald never looked back, his attention remained fixed downward, locked on the pale figure of Andeen leading her team into the fog-choked streets below.