POV: MyrkLys
Looking over his shoulder at Gabby, Benny, Melody, and the new hire, Cynrik nodded, causing the others to group up in two lines behind him, then…MyrkLys stepped through the portal as a single and unified team.
As what usually happens when crossing great distances instantly, or just teleporting in general, the familiar feeling of one's stomach hitting their feet was enough to startle almost everyone. The only exceptions were Cynrik and Selene, who have acclimated to the sensation thanks to skills they both possess.
The ones most affected by this sensation were, of course, Gabby, Milo, and Melody. The moment they stepped through, their cheeks puffed out, and it took a couple of seconds for the three to force down the puke threatening to spew out of their mouths.
Brance, Benny, and Kurza faired slightly better and only ended up stumbling for a second before gulping down a mouthful of saliva.
Cynrik paused his steps outside the transport portal for a moment, observed his surroundings, and soon realized where he had been transported appeared similar to a large airport terminal.
He could see several similar areas, which could only be described as Gates, with signs such as C1 or C2 posted down a long corridor, with the last in line being C-12.
A few meters ahead, Head Dean Rimsfel and Instructor Garrison conversed with a pair of men in black suits wearing sunglasses and holding clipboards. Seeing these two men in black, Cynrik got a strange sense of Deja Vu as they reminded him of the image of generic television FBI agents. Still, the small metallic badge on the lapel of their suit jackets made him realize they were Competition Organization Staff.
He had seen the logo on the badge hundreds of times on TV, and it was just as familiar to him as the Olympic Rings back on Earth. With that thought in mind, Cynrik ignored their presence and waited for Garrison and Rimsfel to call his group over.
[[Fuck, I hate teleporting. You'd figure I would be used to the feeling by now.]] Brance complained after checking on Gabby and Milo.
[[It's your own fault Brancie. Darling has been trying to get you conditioned for ages, but you always put it off whenever it comes up. Had you heeded his advice, like me, you wouldn't be about to toss your lunch after every teleportation.]] Selene sassily responded as she puffed out her abundant chest in pride.
[[Who in their right mind would let that sadist repeatedly drag them in and out of the Shadow Realm hundreds of times with the sole purpose of "Conditioning," sure, it works, but I am not about to allow that.]] Pulling out a tin of mints from his inventory, Brance popped one in his mouth and gave one to Gabby and Milo to eliminate the awful taste.
Behind him, Benny was doing the same thing; however, instead of mints, it was sticks of gum, which Melody and Kurza thankfully accepted. No one wanted to have bad breath or taste puke all day long, so it was a welcomed courtesy.
Before any further banter could continue, the two adults and the Event organizers walked over to MyrkLys, stopped in front of Cynrik, cleared their throats, and waited for his introduction.
"Hm? Oh, Ivar Ragnarsson, VSFA Tier-3 Team Leader, and Leader of MyrkLys." Confused at first at the awkward silence, Cynrik cleared his throat and extended his right hand toward the closest Man in black.
[[Hehe, look at him being all professional. It's so uncharacteristic.]] Brance teased with a small smile creeping unto his lips.
[[I know, righttt~ Darling is so handsome when he is putting on an act.]]
Although the two were teasing him, neither Selene nor Brance showed any outward reaction and continued standing at attention.
"Welcome to the Valor City TTT *Teleportation Transport Terminal*; please scan your Watcet on this tablet, and you will be assigned your lodging. The Opening Ceremonies have already begun, but there is still quite a time before your VSFA is to enter the Arena." Grasping Cynrik's outstretched hand, the Man was surprised that Cynrik hadn't bothered to test his strength and moved right into a standard procedure.
With a nod and a data transfer by way of Cynrik's Watcet, MyrkLys was quickly registered for the Competition and shown as "Arrived" on all the official documentation.
"Alright, I will make this as quick and painless as possible. No one likes repeating themselves, so please listen carefully." The second Man in black started to say, receiving an imperceivable frown from Cynrik.
"For the Competition duration, you are to remain within the confines of 2 city blocks of the Arena. Although you are allowed free reign and aren't confined to your lodgings, you will not be allowed to leave the area for any reason. This is a regulation to keep the Event running smoothly and fair at all times."
Hearing this information, Cynrik tilted his head slightly in agitation. He had been under the impression that they would travel weekly to compete; Geralt hadn't mentioned anything about being locked down in Valor City.
"During the event, your lodging, an apartment large enough for each team member to have a room, will be fully stocked with all the necessary food and training materials, such as workout machines and sparring robots."
"Lastly, you will have teachers from your Academy come by periodically for private lessons, and your Instructor will be by regularly to check your progress."
"If a team member is injured to the point of requiring medical attention, your Instructor needs to be your point of contact, and we will dispatch the necessary Medical Staff."
"Every day between 4 pm and 8 pm, you will be allowed to leave your lodgings and head down to the event area for "Recreation Time," where you can either shop or explore the allotted area."
"You must be back in your lodgings by no later than 8 pm every night. If found outside passed curfew, your team and Academy will have Event Points or EP docked, and you will be individually fined."
"If you wish to go and watch the Events in the Arena, you must fill out an admission slip, and you will receive a ticket to watch your competitors. However, remember that these tickets will cost you 25,000 Credits each and are on a first-come, first-serve basis."
With each new bit of information the Event Organizer spewed, the tighter Cynrik's fist clenched. Unlike the first guy, who had shaken his hand, this second guy was not only condescending and annoying, but the way he continued to talk down on Cynrik was pissing him off to no end.
"Last but not least, under no circumstances are you to get into a physical altercation of ANY KIND with another Competition Team or Individual registered in the Event outside of the actual Event. If you are found fighting, you will not only be blacklisted from future Competitions, but you will also be expelled from the current one and your Academy."
Upon finishing his speech, the Man lifted his tablet and pointed it at every member of MyrkLys with a sneer.
"If you understand and agree to the terms, sign the document I have sent to each of your Watcets."
Simultaneously, everyone's devices dinged loudly, causing the Members of MyrkLys to hold up their arms and open the text document.
Seeing the reaction of these kids, the second Man in black nodded contently; however, a moment later, he frowned deeply. As opposed to what he expected, none of the members of MyrkLys, including the new hire, immediately signed the document, unlike every competitor he had spoken with previously.
Instead, the members of MyrkLys stood at attention with their Watcet Arm raised and read through the entire document's contents. Once finished, they calmly waited for Cynrik's response.
The only one who instinctively went to sign the document was Kurza, but Benny quickly stopped him from doing so and motioned for him to wait for Cynrik's confirmation.
"Competitor Ivar, what seems to be the issue?" Suddenly feeling nervous, the second Man in Black asked with a trickle of sweat running down his right temple.
"Hm? You see, I and my Faction don't willy-nilly sign everything handed to us. So calmly sit put while I read through the entirety of the document first." Tilting his head to the side and speaking with a tone that sent a chill down the Man's spine. Cynrik looked away from the coward and continued reading through the contract until he finally located a clause he disagreed with.
"Article 32-AD-B, Any team found in conflict with another team that has already initiated combat is not to fight back, and instead must contact the appropriate authorities. This clause is bullshit. Essentially you expect us to sit there and get our asses kicked if hostile enemies attack."
"Competitor Ivar, this is standard procedure, and the contract is uniform; everyone must sign…." The Man started to say, but the instant the words left his mouth, he felt an oppressive force weigh down on his body as Cynrik unleased a hint of Killing Intent.
Turning to look at Garrison, who was smirking, and Rimsfel, who had a concerned look, Cynrik smacked his lips before speaking.
"Instructor, Head Dean, can you confirm the validity of his statement?"
Three things happened in that instant; the first was Instructor Garrison and the First Man in black moving into action to target the second Man in black, and the second was the Man kicking off the ground and attempting to flee. The jig was up, he had been found out, and he needed to get away as soon as possible.
The final thing to occur was Cynrik rushing forward and unleashing the fullest extent of his Killing Intent, effectively immobilizing the fleeing Man instantly.
BANG
"AHHH AHHH, LET ME GO, YOU BASTARDS!" The Man screamed as his body slammed into the ground with Garrison kneeling on his back and the First Man in Black securing the guy's legs.
"Tut, idiot. If you are going to try trapping us in some bullshit scheme, then at least try not to make it so obvious." Kneeling down and gripping the restrained Man's head by the back of his hair, Cynrik forced the Man to look up at him.
As this was happening, Head Dean Rimsfel had already begun contacting the proper authorities. The restrained Man may have been Tier-4, but between Cynrik's insanely high KIN, and the presence of Garrison and the First Event Organizer, he didn't feel the need to step in.
"Sigh, too bad for you, I guess, that I am paranoid as hell, Garrison; I found over 12 inconsistent Clauses in the contract he sent us, so he is one of those incompetent bastards sent to sabotage us." Then, not feeling an ounce of pity, Cynrik smashed the guy's head into the ground hard enough to shatter his teeth and break his nose before getting up and walking back to his team.
Meanwhile, the first Man in black, who Cynrik had determined to be "Clean," broke the captured spy's legs and several of his vertebrae, rendering him paralyzed, earning him a curt and approving nod from Cynrik.
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