NOVEL NEXT Chapter 241: Mission Underway
"What issue is with the report, anyways?" Jade inquired, seeking clarity on the confusion that seemed to surround their upcoming mission.
Rosa, seizing the opportunity to elucidate, grabbed Jade by the arm and guided her to the table. There, she presented a folder, its contents printed on grey paper that seemed to absorb the light around it. The papers listed the details of the event they were to investigate, laid out in a manner that suggested both order and mystery.
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Code: Green
Expand Zone: 32 feet
Threat level: Low
Recommended team: Red
Portal Size: 500ft
Success Rate: 8%
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Jade's inquiry, "Is that it? No pictures of what the creature looks like or anything?" reflected her expectation for more detailed intel. Rosa's frustration was evident as she covered her face with a hand, lamenting the lack of clarity and the inconsistencies in the report. "Nope, nothing. And it doesn't make any sense. How can the success rate and portal size be this off for a low threat level?
Just doesn't make any sense," she voiced her concerns, the situation seemingly defying logic.
Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of a man dressed in a black suit and tie, his presence marked by a monocle over his right eye. His entrance was authoritative, and his question, "Have you finished debriefing?" signaled a shift towards action. Without waiting for a verbal response, he revealed a set of clothes with three crosses, platinum in color with a perfect shine.
The symbols, unfamiliar and intriguing, prompted Jade to ask, "What are these exactly?"
"These are how we get around places quickly, pretty useful, to be honest," the man explained, hinting at a technology or magic far beyond their usual means of travel.
Jade, her curiosity piqued, couldn't help but express her astonishment. "What, like teleporting?!" The concept seemed as fantastical as it was exciting.
Rosa, with a thoughtful gesture, confirmed Jade's guess. "Yep, exactly," she said, taking the cloth from the suited man with a casual "thanks, butler." Her ease in accepting the extraordinary device contrasted with Jade's initial skepticism. The man, known simply as the butler, offered a slight bow before retreating from the room, his demeanor unchanging and professional.
The moment the cross was tossed to Jade, the sequence that unfolded was both astonishing and visceral. As the light emanated from the cross, a profound transformation began. The sensation of her body disintegrating inch by inch was overwhelming, and the ensuing darkness engulfed her senses completely.
When Jade's eyes fluttered open, the surroundings had shifted dramatically. The desolation of an empty construction yard, marked by warning signs to deter trespassers, contrasted sharply with the room they had just occupied. This sudden change of environment, coupled with the method of their arrival, was disorienting.
Feeling her body reconstitute in this new location was an experience Jade could only liken to being torn apart and pieced back together, a sensation so intense it drove her to her knees. Clutching her chest in a desperate attempt to regain some semblance of control, she fought the urge to succumb to nausea.
The entire ordeal felt as if her very essence had been dismantled and reassembled, leaving her to ponder the surreal nature of their teleportation and the capabilities of the technology or magic at their disposal.
As Jade struggled to come to terms with her recent experience, she witnessed Oscar and Rosa materialize, seemingly floating a couple of inches above the ground before landing effortlessly. Rosa's cheerful demeanor contrasted sharply with Jade's disorientation, her smile bright as she exclaimed, "See, I told you it was teleportation."
Jade, still reeling from the ordeal, could only shake her head in disbelief. "Every second since I woke up, things just make less and less sense," she muttered, trying to anchor herself in the rapidly unfolding reality.
Oscar, ever pragmatic, steered the conversation towards their immediate objective. "Well, regardless, let's go ahead and set up to make this quick," he stated, cutting through the confusion with a focus on the task at hand.
Jade, still a step behind, sought clarification. "What do you mean? Oh, the barrier to stop outside interference, right?"
With a nod, Oscar confirmed her guess, his demeanor betraying little emotion. He then drew his sword, which ignited into an orange flame, a sight that was both mesmerizing and intimidating. With a decisive motion, he plunged the flaming sword into the ground.
Jade's curiosity about the operational mechanics of the barrier system, given her previous experience with Master Ash, highlighted a gap in her understanding. "So how does this whole barrier thing even work? The last time I went out with Master Ash, the barrier was set up from people from the outside, I thought."
Oscar's response, though grumbled, shed light on the critical aspects of their defense mechanisms. "So many questions," he remarked, a hint of frustration in his tone, suggesting that the intricacies of their operations were expected knowledge. "Honestly, they should have taught you all of this before throwing you to the wolves."
He then explained, "The barrier is constructed by an outside force, the same one that redirects the portals as they get detected. We simply enhance the barriers with a bit of our energy to be strengthened, and they can only fall if something happens to us."
As Oscar finished his explanation, the theoretical became tangible. Clear walls began to materialize around the perimeter of the taped-off area, effectively sealing them inside. The sky above, once open, was now covered, completing their isolation from the outside world. At the center of the construction zone, sparks of lightning started to converge
Oscar pulling a pocket watch out as he stated "About five minutes until it should start, I will start off with the usual blitz if that's okay with you Rosa?"
Fine by me to be honest, it's always fun watching you swing that sword around like you're some Samurai" Giving a light chuckle as he stated "Well, I will be the best swordsmen one day as he removed his sword from the ground as it trailed with bits of fire on it's steel edge.