Realm Lord
Chapter 175: First Mission

Chapter 175: First Mission

The conversation continued for several more minutes as they delved deeper into Cara’s troubling revelations. Each exchange of words only served to deepen the mystery surrounding their unusual situation, leaving more questions than answers in its wake. The weight of unspoken threats and unknown benefactors hung heavy in the air like a storm cloud ready to burst.

Eventually, the discussion began to wind down naturally, they had exhausted their current ability to make sense of the situation. Cara shuffled the papers on her desk with practiced efficiency, the sound of rustling documents filling the momentary silence. Her movements were methodical, almost ritualistic, as if the simple act of organizing her workspace helped her organize her thoughts as well.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, drawing in a deep breath that seemed to come from the very depths of her being. The pause stretched for several heartbeats before she slowly reopened her eyes, her gaze now sharp and focused as she recentered herself on the task at hand. When she spoke again, her voice carried a different quality – more official, more grave.

"I was just informed this morning of our next mission," she announced, her words cutting through the air like a blade.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to change instantly, as if all the oxygen had suddenly been sucked out of the space. The very air felt thinner, more oppressive, making it difficult to draw a full breath. Arthur felt his chest tighten with anticipation and a growing sense of dread that he couldn’t quite shake.

Arthur and Aziel exchanged meaningful glances, their eyes meeting in a moment of shared understanding and concern. The weight of what Cara had just said settled over them like a heavy blanket, and they slowly turned their attention back toward her, waiting for the details that would determine their immediate future.

’Our first mission,’ Arthur thought to himself, his mind racing with implications. ’This happened sooner than I thought. I assumed they’d give us time to adjust to working with Cara and Myah first, but I guess war waits for nobody. The realms conflicts don’t pause for anyone’s convenience or comfort level.’

Cara nodded slowly, as if she could read the thoughts playing across their faces. Her expression remained carefully neutral, but Arthur caught a flicker of something in her eyes – concern, perhaps, or maybe just the weight of responsibility she felt for their safety.

"Yes, although the details have not yet been completely explained to me, we are to move to the center stronghold of District 3 – Fort Stan – for further instruction," she said, her voice steady despite the gravity of what she was revealing.

Arthur felt his throat constrict as he swallowed hard, the simple action suddenly requiring tremendous effort. ’Fort Stan,’ he thought, his mind immediately pulling up everything he knew about the infamous stronghold. ’If I remember correctly, that’s the stronghold in the dead center of District 3... and furthermore, it’s...’

"Wait!" Aziel exclaimed, his voice cracking slightly with the force of his realization. The word burst from his lips before he could stop it, loaded with disbelief and growing horror. "Isn’t that supposed to be the most dangerous stronghold in the district?"

He leaned forward in his chair, his hands gripping the armrests as he continued, his voice rising with each word. "From what I heard, it’s an everyday grind just to keep back the swarms constantly attacking it. The casualty rates there are supposed to be astronomical, and they’re sending us there on our first mission?"

The questions tumbled from his lips in a rush, each one carrying more weight than the last. The implications were staggering – Fort Stan wasn’t just dangerous, it was legendary for all the wrong reasons. It was where promising young chosen went to die, where even experienced veterans struggled to survive more than a few months.

Cara looked at him with a somber expression that confirmed his worst fears. Her eyes held the weight of someone who had seen too much death, too much senseless violence in the name of humanity’s survival. Myah, who had been quietly observing the exchange, let out a soft snicker that seemed oddly out of place given the gravity of the situation.

Arthur’s attention shifted to Aziel, expecting to see his own fear and concern reflected in his friend’s face. ’Wow, even Aziel seems scared,’ he thought, noting the unusual tension in his companion’s posture.

But then Aziel spoke, and Arthur’s world tilted on its axis.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Aziel exclaimed, suddenly springing to his feet with an energy that seemed to crackle through the air around him. His entire body language had shifted in an instant, excitement lacing his features like electric current. His eyes were bright with anticipation, his hands gesturing wildly as he spoke.

The reaction was so unexpected, so completely contrary to what the situation warranted, that it left everyone else in the room momentarily speechless. Myah’s eyes practically popped out of her head in disbelief, her earlier snickering seizing completely as she stared at Aziel as if he had just sprouted a second head.

Even Cara seemed slightly shocked by the outburst, though her surprise quickly transformed into something that looked suspiciously like a grin. There was a glint of approval in her eyes, as if Aziel’s enthusiasm brought satisfaction to her, I’m sure it made giving us this grim news slightly more bearable when one of us is delighted by it.

Arthur rolled his eyes and released a long, weary sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. ’Should have known,’ he thought to himself, shaking his head in resignation. ’What an idiot. Leave it to Aziel to be excited about walking into what amounts to a death trap.’

Cara’s slight chuckle broke the tension that had settled over the room like a fog. The sound was warm but carried an underlying note of concern that spoke to the seriousness of their situation. "We leave in two days, so make sure you’re ready," she said, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "The road there will be tougher than you could imagine. It’s time you guys find out what you really signed up for."

Arthur felt chills roll up his arms at her grim words, the sensation like ice water being poured over his skin. The way she said it, with such matter-of-fact certainty, made it clear that this wasn’t just another training exercise or one of his and Aziel’s routine dives into the second realm. This was the real deal – the kind of assignment that separated the survivors from the casualties.

The conversation continued for the next hour as they went through a more detailed debriefing about the current state of the continent and their specific role within the larger conflict. Cara painted a picture of a district under siege, where humanity clung to scattered strongholds while hostile forces from the void pressed in from all sides. The information was sobering, each detail adding another layer to the complexity of their situation.

As the briefing progressed, Cara made the decision that it was time for a full disclosure of everyone’s abilities if they were going to work together effectively. The logic was sound – in combat situations, knowing your teammates’ capabilities could mean the difference between life and death.

First, Aziel and Arthur explained their abilities in detail, though this information was already known to both Cara and Myah thanks to their access to the academy files. Still, hearing it directly from them provided nuances and insights that paperwork couldn’t capture. Arthur’s mind and strategic thinking complemented Aziel’s more direct combat abilities, creating a balanced partnership that had served them well in their previous encounters.

Next, Cara explained her own abilities, which, thanks to her immense popularity and their rather one-sided sparring match the previous day, they were already painfully aware of. Her reputation as one of the most skilled chosen in all of history wasn’t just hype – it was backed up by raw power and years of experience that showed in every movement she made.

Finally, it was Myah’s turn to explain her capabilities, and her revelation turned out to be rather interesting and unexpected. She possessed the ability to infuse massive amounts of realm energy into objects, particularly weapons, to make them stronger in every conceivable way. The enhancement wasn’t just about raw power – it affected durability, sharpness, weight distribution, and even the object’s interaction with realm energy itself.

This power worked in perfect tandem with her soul weapon, a massive bow that seemed almost too large for her slight frame. The weapon came complete with regenerative arrows that she could infuse with her realm energy to create projectiles of devastating power. The combination of her enhancement abilities and her weapon’s unique properties made her a formidable long-range combatant, capable of providing support fire that could turn the tide of battle.

As the briefing concluded, Arthur couldn’t help but feel a mixture of anticipation and dread settling in his stomach. Fort Stan awaited them, and with it, the true test of everything they had learned and trained for. The road ahead would be dangerous, but at least now they knew what they were walking into – and more importantly, they knew they wouldn’t be walking into it alone.

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