Quest Academy: Silvers, page 10
“Okay, I’ll admit, this is completely your win. I’m still going to tease you for discounts from time to time.” Upgrade turned around, but Sal was nowhere to be seen. She looked at the others, but they looked equally confused at his disappearance.
With a few tentative steps, Upgrade walked back the way they came. Maybe he had got lost somewhere. She scanned the rows of benches. When she got back to the main area, there was a huge group of students moving from table to table, asking stupid questions. When she finally caught sight of the workshop owner, she made her way over to him.
“Forge, have you seen that kid I was with? The one with the Silver token?”
Forge snorted. “That was two groups ago. These ones are in the Black cohort, and they’ll be finishing up soon.” He started to walk away.
Upgrade could barely focus. She knew that it had taken some time to verify the work, but did it really take that long?
“Oh, and I think you’re losing your touch,” Forge said. “That kid, with the silver eyes?”
Upgrade nodded slowly, wondering where he was going with this.
“Yeah, I asked him if he was signing up for the Crafting module you’re teaching. Never seen a kid respond so fast in my life. Flat out refused. I pushed him on it…and he said that you lot weren’t his type of people. Who knew a kid could be that fucking classist, to snub a Hero of all people?” Forge chuckled as he made his way across the workshop floor, stopping to answer questions for anyone who asked.
Upgrade gritted her teeth, recounting everything that had happened and thought about it from Sal’s perspective. Cursing herself, she let out an aggravated yell and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Whoa there. Kinda scaring the kids, Upgrade…You okay?” Forge walked back to her, and he looked concerned.
More than a few of the students looked over at her in confusion. Some had lingering stares, but it likely had little to do with her outburst. Forge urged her to walk with him.
“I fucked up, Forge. Really fucked up…He probably hates us.”
Forge’s expression was a clear indicator that he was going to tell her to calm down and that it probably wasn’t that bad. Upgrade skipped that part and filled him in on the situation.
“Kid walks up to me, doesn’t have his group. Cool, that’s fine. I give him the spiel…usual drill. He shows me the token, and who is it fucking from? Villa! The Reavers have made a contract with this kid, so I’m sure as shit thinking that he’s gonna be tough as nails to have got their attention. He’s an Appraiser too, so I ask him to check out my gloves…see how good he is?”
Forge raised his arms and tried to back away slowly, but Upgrade moved with him.
“He’s really fucking good, saw through the gloves immediately, so I revealed my Hero suit. Kid looked like he just fell in love, so I teased him a bit…He’s going to be working with us, so might as well get a discount because he’s crushing on me, right?”
“Upgrade, slow—”
“So the teasing is maybe a little one-sided…It was cute having an innocent kid fawning like that. I was about to stop when fucking Dickwad Five Thousand rocks up with that damn core.”
“Marcus,” Forge corrected quietly, but Upgrade was having none of it.
“Dickwad Marcus pulls out that stone after hearing that the kid is an Appraiser, wants to play a trick on him, and I go to stop it from happening. The guys slow me down because they want to see what happens…”
“You humiliated him.”
The disappointment in Forge’s tone really drove it home. No matter how much she tried to justify their actions to herself, they were the bad guys.
Forge patted her on the shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ll speak to Marcus. I can get him to apologize to the kid, and maybe he’ll reconsider the class. But I don’t think Marcus is the only one who owes him an apology.”
Upgrade took a steadying breath as she gave Forge a meaningful look. “The core didn’t dupe the kid. He Appraised it in seconds, and talked through everything that was wrong with it. That was enough for us to lose our shit…Absolute baller move, not going to lie. It was fucking awesome. I was about to hug the damn kid, but he goes one better. Turns out he has another skill—Restoration! His eyes start glowing and that broken core transformed into something completely new. No leaks, perfect etchings, stable core, and it works perfectly. It’s over there right now, replenishing itself! We’re Craft people—we were on that item from the moment he was done to just now.”
Forge’s frown deepened. “He can Restore, Appraise, and has silver eyes? I think you just alienated the heir to the Argento Auction.”
Upgrade closed her eyes as she finally made the connection. He had told her his name, but she had been too preoccupied with that damn token.
Forge clapped his hands. “Let’s work on a solution here. We can shortlist him and give him a place in the course for free? Throw in some materials, his own bench and maybe some mentoring from our top Hero?” Forge gestured at Upgrade, who nodded as she took off her flannel shirt and tied it around her waist. Forge looked at her apprehensively for a moment before guessing her intent. “You’re going to look for him now, aren’t you?”
Upgrade glanced at the doors at the other side of the room. “He should be at the Skill Registration about now. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Chapter 12:
Registration
“I’ve got a confession to make.” Divinity’s voice was heavy as she looked at Sal. “I’m incredibly relieved to know you’re just as exhausted as me.” Turning around and walking backward in front of Sal, she placed her hand over her heart. “It makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside to know that the top two students in the Silver cohort…are probably going to fall asleep on the mats during the Combat exercise.”
Sal broke into a wry grin, and Divinity raised her hands in celebration. “I did it! We’ve cracked the grump.” Her blue eyes sparkled as she danced in a circle.
Sal waved her away but kept smiling. He was incredibly grateful to have Divinity’s support. After he had told her everything that had happened with Upgrade, he was content to brood for a while and overthink each part of the encounter. Divinity was having absolutely none of that, though, and took it upon herself to lighten the mood and bring him back to the light.
They were both nervous as they entered the Skill Registration area. Despite the towers being incredibly tall, they weren’t the widest…which had resulted in the tour being across multiple floors. If there was a logic to their movements, none of the students had figured it out yet. Instead, it felt more like they were constantly going back on where they already visited.
Divinity had suggested that it might be a form of cardio exercise, but it was highly unlikely. That said, a few hours later, they were at their destination near the top of a tower. The views out the windows were stunning, and Sal could almost see the port on the far side of the city. Towering grids of light were visible in the distance, showing the safe territories that had been reclaimed to date. Guild towers stood imposingly high into the sky, offering reassurance to any that saw them.
The interior was really impressive too. Fantastical machines were littered across the room and made the place look more like a production facility than the workshop they had visited earlier.
“Whoa, look at that one.” Divinity pointed at a giant tube filled with a clear liquid.
Sal’s eyes informed him that it was some form of liquified essence. He had never heard of anything like that, and he was curious to know what it was doing in a Skill Registration area.
He turned his head and pointed at another one. “What about that one?”
When Divinity followed his gesture, her eyes went wide. “It looks like an electric chair.”
Welcome again.
You’re probably sick of my voice at this point, but this part of the induction is incredibly important, so make sure to pay attention. As we learn, develop, and grow, we like to remind ourselves where we came from. The last generation of skill refinement is all around you.
As you get closer to our assessment area, you’ll see the evolution of our technological capabilities.
When the war first started, and the outbreaks began, we, as a country, put all our resources into offense and fighting the demons. Funding was thrown to anyone who could hit them hard.
And hit hard we did, but they kept coming and more portals appeared, followed by towers and then even dungeons. Our methods of hitting hard didn’t solve the problem.
Quest’s voice was automated this time and came from the speakers around them. It was like a guided tour, with different segments of audio playing when they reached a new area.
Sal had learned a lot of the history from his parents, who had grown up during the wars, but not the worst part of them. He had been sheltered from a lot of the harsh realities other people had faced. His parents had powers, so were looked after. People who didn’t have powers didn’t have the means to pay for protection, or the exorbitant prices of living in safe zones. Their role in society was to wait for the Heroes to reclaim enough territory for them to return to their homes.
Magical essence was already leaking into our atmosphere, and we knew it was going to change us…but not in time for us to survive as a species. When our tactics of hitting hard stopped being effective, we switched our strategy. Research and development was something we did exceptionally well as a people throughout history, utilizing the learnings of our ancestors as we unlocked new technological breakthroughs.
We had never started from scratch before, and there was no right or wrong approach. Everything we learned was a result of trial and error. There exist schools of thought in other safe zones around the world…that don’t believe in us getting skills to fight the demons.
They believe our abilities are afflictions and see all of this as some form of divine retribution. Acts of God and all that.
Divinity’s eyes widened as they reached an area filled with artifacts. Crude shapes and carvings stood on display in protective transparent cases all around them. Tablets in a foreign language, feathered and colored totems. They were all from the other side of the portals. Sal didn’t give them anything more than a passing glance for fear of exhausting himself further, but he thought they all looked outlandish but interesting.
Speaking of gods. The demons have their own faiths…with all of these relics hinting at a greater power on the other side of the portals. We’ve made great strides in breaking down their languages, but we’re nowhere near full translations just yet.
Who knows, maybe one of you will have the power that we need to unlock the secrets of the war. Maybe your skill will help us grow crops. Heal wounds.
Maybe your skill will be strong enough to push the demons back to where they came from. Maybe you’ll take back our lost territory. Who knows…
Sal had to give it to Quest. He certainly knew how to inspire a crowd. All of the students were smiling at the prospect of using their powers for good. Most of them resonated with the concept of being strong enough to fight demons, but the lower-ranked people with Support classes looked to be just as inspired.
These are the reasons we need to register your skills.
You may have the answer we need to a problem that might not yet exist. Some of you have extraordinary abilities already, more potent than any generation that came before you. You grew up in an environment with incredibly dense magical essence, which has unlocked some truly amazing gifts. Some of them you’ll be very familiar with…but there are others that might be hiding within.
Our Skill Registration might open up doors that you didn’t realize existed.
Good luck.
The tour area ended, and Sal turned around to see the full cohort at different stages of the tour, with some only beginning it. Divinity dragged him to the top of the queue with a wink. He didn’t question her decisions anymore. It was hard to argue with someone who had an impeccable record and could see into the future.
The doors in front of them opened into an even more magnificent room. A golden staircase the width of a highway wound upward in a huge open-plan area. The windows bathed the entire area in light, and the gold shone beautifully. Collective gasps rippled through the students, and Sal couldn’t help but marvel at it all. A series of uniformed staff stood at the base of the staircase, smiling.
“Gold cohort has finished with their registration and are enjoying refreshments in the Sky Lounge. When you finish your registration, please make your way to the top of the tower, where you’ll see your assigned seating.” One of the staff members gestured upward, and Sal gaped at the sight.
The staircase was like a stretched-out spring that hugged the sides of the glass walls. At the top, they could see a platform with a completely transparent floor. In the center, between the staircase, was a series of transparent tubes that looked to be the width of a car. Before he could figure out what they were, a large capsule shot up from the unseen floors below, through the tubes and all the way up to the platform above.
The staff member turned and gestured at the tubes. “Don’t worry about going back down all those steps. We have rapid transport tubes to take you to the lobby. They’re like elevators but use essence instead of cables.”
Divinity tugged at Sal’s sleeve, and he realized he must have been staring in awe for a bit too long. Shaking his head, he followed her up the stairs. They were very much at the front of the crowd. The staircase leveled out after maybe thirty steps and created a wide floor area, then resumed its ascent farther off in the distance.
As for the makeshift floor they were on, there was a series of loungers and cubicles that faced the glass walls of the tower. Divinity kept them moving, but Sal wondered what their purpose was.
“They’re study areas. Probably a premium area, though,” Divinity remarked as she gestured at a small terminal that stood to the side of the cubicles. Sal guessed it was a payment station, and wondered how much it would cost to study there.
When they reached the next set of stairs, Sal wanted to give up, but Divinity urged him onward. He wasn’t really serious, but felt an overwhelming need to complain about everything. He was tired, both physically and mentally. His internal essence was probably depleted, too, and he was genuinely worried that he might have screwed up his chances of getting a good result at the Skill Registration. He had been internally battling with his actions in the workshop, and he couldn’t help but feel that everything he did was unnecessary and foolish. Activating a full-potential skill in front of others as a “fuck you” was the height of petty behavior, and his parents wouldn’t have approved. Well, his father might, if he knew the context, but that wasn’t the point.
“Are you finished feeling sorry for yourself?” Divinity laughed as they reached the next floor. “Because we’re here.”
Divinity rolled up her right sleeve and approached one of the attendants.
There were about ten machines, all looking practically identical in their craftsmanship. Out of curiosity, Sal activated his eyes and pushed through the fatigue to inspect each of the machines. He didn’t understand a lot of the information, but he was able to grade and assess them against each other.
“Divinity!” Sal called out quickly to catch her attention before she committed to using the wrong one. She looked back at him curiously and saw that he was pointing to one of the machines farther down the line. “Use that one. I’ll wait until you’re done.”
Divinity hesitated before she moved away from the first machine.
The attendant raised an eyebrow. “Smart friend you have there.”
Divinity shot Sal a questioning look as she was ushered to the other bench but he just shook his head and continued to point at it.
“I’ll explain later. Use that one.” Rather than queuing at another machine, Sal waited behind Divinity for his chance to use the same one.
The uniformed staff noticed that her sleeve was already rolled up and raised an eyebrow. If they were curious about something, they didn’t say anything.
Sal’s eyes were locked onto the machine. The build quality was slightly better than the others, but the main difference was the power source. It looked like the core that powered the machine had just been replaced. It was practically brimming with magical essence in comparison to the ones that looked like half-spent batteries.
Unlike the barbaric machinery they had seen during the tour, these ones looked modern and sleek. Just the action of the staff member sliding the arm chamber up to accommodate Divinity’s height was a sign of how far advanced this equipment was. If they had time to design for comfort, they must have been confident in its performance.
Divinity inserted her right arm into the chamber. She smiled as the attendant walked her through the process. Nodding, Divinity’s eyes clouded over as she activated her power. Sal’s eyes snapped back to the core as a huge ripple of power coursed through the machine and melded with Divinity’s essence. It looked like the two powers fought for a moment, before calming and becoming one. Divinity’s eyes widened as she stared at the machine with a sense of wonder. Sal didn’t want to presume, but he didn’t think she had expected this outcome.
As the attendant helped her remove her arm, the power split into segments, but still swirled on a small plate near the surface of the machine. A few inputs were confirmed, and the power stabilized and became static. He watched in awe as the plate popped out and was handed to Divinity. Was it really that simple?
Divinity’s grin was practically goofy as she sauntered past him. Her exhaustion was at its peak, but she didn’t seem to care in the slightest. “You pick good machines.”
A staff member guided Divinity toward a lounge area where she could rest for a few moments. Sal waited patiently as the machine attendant reset everything.
After a couple of minutes, the attendant glanced over their shoulder and suggested that Sal could try another machine rather than wait, but Sal shook his head.
“Nope. This is the one for me.”
As he waited for his turn, the rest of the cohort queued up behind people who had taken the other machines. One or two people stood behind Sal, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anxiety. To calm himself, he went through the Upgrade ability weave one more time, strengthening his hold on it and making sure that he could activate it without any hesitation, like a normal skill. The attendant sidestepped and gestured for Sal to approach. Breathing quickly to psych himself up, Sal nodded and moved toward him with his arm outstretched.
