13 Chapter 12. Invitation

"When will you depart?" Agni asked inside the meeting room of the watchtower, after leading the researcher to a prepared guest living quarters. It spelled meeting room, but frankly, it was just a rest area with a whiteboard and screen. It was next to the surveillance room that was filled with radar and communication devices, so some stray wires also found their way into the room.

Even though there was nothing to be on guard for, the driver-tank named Balduz stood near the door, while the 5-star healer Han Shin looked outside the window, narrowing his eyes like he was searching for something—or someone. The Sharpshooter offered to help Ron make some coffee, while Naomi and the Captain talked business.

"I would say as soon as we can, but we do need the researcher to rest and acclimate themselves to the lack of fresh air," Naomi answered while taking out some papers from her briefcase. "So we'll depart at dawn the day after tomorrow, unless there's a complication."

"Alright," the Captain looked through the papers Naomi gave him. It was a list of 'subsidies' that Mortix would 'grant' to Unit 04-2 as their 'corporate social responsibility' campaign.

To put it simply: hush money. Agni did not care what they wanted to do inside the Deathzone, but this bribe would increase the survivability of their unit—which for how dangerous the area was, really lacked in support funds from the government. Agni might be a Captain of the Border Defense Force, but his loyalty was to his unit and his own life.

As long as it didn't directly come into his own pocket, it wasn't technically a bribe.

"You might select the grant from the first section and we shall deliver it within the duration of the excursion. The bonus grant would be given and delivered after the research is completed. Please give me the selected list as soon as possible for a swift process."

Agni almost wanted to laugh at the variety of grants Mortix was willing to provide just to buy their silence. Honestly, it wasn't about the money, but the availability. For espers and guides in the borderland, better equipment and logistic was better than the cash they wouldn't be able to use unless they got out of this place. They'd rather survive than roll in money, since corpses had no use for cash.

"How long is the duration for this...excursion?" he put the list aside for now.

"We don't have a plan to do it for too long. We bring ordinary people after all," Naomi looked at Han Shin, who brought up two fingers before slipping outside of the room. "At most two weeks."

"I see," Agni looked at Ron, who came back to the table with a tray of coffees and nodded at him. "About the pathfinder and guide that you requested..."

"Ah, yes, the pathfinder first. We needn't venture long, but we might go to the uncharted area."

"Well, we don't know the extension of what you might need, so why don't you bring our best," Agni craned his neck towards Ron.

"I will be coming as the pathfinder," Ron said from the table. Aside from the Captain and two other unit members, he was here the longest and had come to the Deathzone for missions most often.

For the first time, Naomi showed her smile. "Ah, excellent. Of course, there will also be a separate payment for the pathfinder and the guides you provided."

"Hmm, Miss, you mentioned 'guides', but I have to tell you that we are severely lacking ones. So I don't think we could spare more than one guide for an excursion that might span for two weeks," the Captain looked at Naomi's flash change of expression with a shrug. He knew the representative might resent him, but what could he do when they were lacking manpower?

They were always lacking manpower.

Thankfully, Naomi was rather a reasonable client. It wasn't her first time in the borderland, and she knew the poor condition of this place that was supposed to be their line of defense. Which was poor, ironically.

"I understand your stance. But if you can't provide several guides, then I would like you to lend us your highest class guide. There's one A-class if I'm not mistaken?"

At that, the Captain scratched his neck and explained with an awkward smile. "We do have that, but he's...how should I put it? A psychopathic convict."

Most of the convicts sent to the borderland were espers, but sometimes there were guides too. The A-class guide in Section 04-2, coincidentally, had a nasty personality. All his guiding would leave the espers with a nauseating feeling, and some even felt like they were being mentally tortured. Agni never sent espers to that guide unless it was an emergency.

"I know he's a convict, but we have two 5-star espers here. Anyone below that would have a hard time dealing with that alone," Naomi frowned. "Do you think the person will still behave like that in front of two 5-star?"

Agni chuckled softly, which almost sounded mocking to Naomi. "Miss, there's a reason why even we, the crazies who stayed in the borderland, called him a psychopath."

"He's a madman, Miss. I doubt he even knows who to guide decently, so you better forget about using him," Ron interjected. Especially because he would be in this expedition too, and there was no way he'd want to get a guiding from that madman. Rather, he looks at Naomi inquisitively. "Why you didn't bring any guide, Miss?"

"Because we need guides that had used to the Deathzone," Naomi answered readily. "It's fine if the researcher collapse, we just need to bring them back. But if the guides collapse halfway, it'll be a disaster."

"Well, that's true."

If a guide couldn't cope with the environment and collapsed when espers needed to be guided, the whole team could crumble down. And if it should get to the point that the espers facing eruption, then it wouldn't just be the team that faced annihilation, the whole area would.

Especially if it was an eruption of 5-star esper. Two 5-star espers. Because there was no way they would be fighting moderately in a place like the Deathzone, which was equivalent to multiple dungeon outbreaks.

Looking at the situation that had grown less ideal, the perfectionist representative massaged her temple. "Then what do you sugg—"

At that time, they heard loud conversation outside, although it was only the sound of Han Shin shouting into the commlink in his wrist. From the looked of it, the healer was in an argument with the missing vice-guildmaster.

Naomi inhaled, already used to the two executives bickering on the way here, and continued her words. "Then what do you suggest? Unless you can give us at least two B-class healers—"

"About that, we actually have the right man for the job."

Naomi frowned, then tilted her head. "An individual?"

"Yes," the Captain nodded. "It's true that we can only send one man. But even with two 5-star, I think you won't have a problem."

"Also, he's the one who goes to the Deathzone the most among the guides." Ron added from the side.

"Really? I don't think I see another A-class in your member list..."

"Well," the Captain averted her gaze and said awkwardly, "that's because he's not an A-class..."

"What?!" this time, the throbbing in her temple could not be contained with just a simple hand massage. "Then how can he handle two 5-stars?" she asked harshly while slamming her briefcase, all countenance of a calm, business representative thrown out of the window.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Miss." Agni raised his palm, but his grinning face only aggravated Naomi more.

How could she calm down? This was an important matter to her. The two 5-stars that came this time weren't just espers that belonged to the Trinity guild. They were also Mortix Group shareholders and under the chairman's care. If she couldn't manage this expedition well, she might as well say goodbye to her career.

Naomi, who had his previously neat arrangement disturbed unexpectedly, wiped her face with her hand. If there was a weakness to a perfectionist, it was that they tended to crumble if their tailored plan met a roadblock.

At the distressed-looking Naomi, the Captain toned down his voice and made it sound as gentle as he could, "He's not shown as A-class, but...we don't actually know his real class."

"What?"

The explanation that followed had no effect to qualm her stress. "It's because his license is...umm...a fake one,"

She parted her mouth to say something, but immediately closed it again, looking absolutely flabbergasted.

It might be mindboggling for someone from proper background and environment like these safer-zone espers, but it was not a weird thing in the borderland. The fake license was common among those who resided within the red-zone anyway. It would only frown upon if you don't have a skill that was on par with the license.

The next time she opened her mouth, she sounded defeated. "How could we trust someone with fake—"

"What is this? Why are you arguing?" before she could finish, Han Shin already came inside again, apparently finished his call with the vice-guildmaster.

Naomi didn't look like she could answer it, so the one who answered him was the sharpshooter, Sierra. "Ah, Chief, we still haven't found a guide..."

"What? Still? Why? What about the A-class fellow?" Han Shin widened his eyes, making him look younger than he actually was.

"Only if you want to feel nauseous in every guiding session..." Ron muttered, very much praying that he didn't have to drag that A-class psychopath with him for two weeks.

At that, Han Shin made a disgusted face and shuddered. "Eugh..." just like any elite espers that was used to top-notch services, the thought of receiving bad guiding was disturbing.

The Captain used it as a chance to push. "There's this man that will suit the role, but—"

But his words were immediately cut by Naomi. "We're not using a guide with fake—"

"What guide?" suddenly, a low, slightly husky voice resounded within the room. Immediately following the voice was a cluster of black smoke—almost like miasma, but without the nasty feeling—that dispersed to reveal a tall man in an impeccable suit. "Why are we still looking for a guide?"

"Oh, fucking finally!" Han Shin threw his hand and finally took a seat, while everyone else stood up instead. The driver, who had already stood from the start, straightened his back.

But while Agni and Ron looked at the new arrival with wonder, Naomi looked at the man with nervousness. "M-mister Vaski..."

"What is this about a guide? I already find a guide." Bassena tilted his head, looking at the small crowd.

Han Shin straightened his slacked shoulder and widened his eyes. "What? You? When?"

"Do you think I'm just sightseeing?" the Saint-class esper crossed his arms while clicking his tongue, but Han Shin shrugged his shoulder in agreement.

"...considering it's you..." the younger esper muttered in a sneering tone.

Bassena would flip the younger man if this was their base. But he had another thing to take care of right now. "I found my guy," he said, which made Han Shin perk with a raised brow. "But he said 'It's not my decision. All mission goes through the Captain'." Bassena made a serious face and a serious voice like imitating someone.

At that, the Captain chuckled a little bit. It sounded just like someone he knew. Hearing the chuckle, Bassena turned his head at Agni.

"You're the Captain?" he asked, ember eyes narrowed.

"Ah, yes, Sir!" in the Sentinel community, there was no such thing as age. Seniority was all dependent on one's rank.

"Then you can give him the mission, right?"

At the table, Han Shin crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. "What, you're deciding just like that?"

"What's wrong with that? I'm the one who will need the guiding the most anyway, so I should be the one to pick the guide, right?" Bassena nonchalantly waves his hand, as if telling them he didn't care one bit about their opinion. Which was very Bassena-like, actually.

"Fine, as long as it's not the nauseating one." with a shrug, Han Shin went to lean his back on the chair again, seemingly used to this side of his friend.

Even then, Naomi asked inquisitively. "Umm, who's this guide exactly, Mister Vaski?"

And then Bassena remembered he hadn't told the Captain about this guide that he chose. "Ah, right, he's the one on outpost duty today," he looked at the Captain with a deep smile and a glint flashing in the amber orbs that reminded the Captain of a snake thinking about its prey. "Zein, right?"

It might just be his imagination, but the Captain felt like there was something different in the way Bassena uttered that name. He couldn't figure out what, though. He was just glad that they actually had the same guide in mind.

"Oh, what a coincidence,"

"Hmm, what is it?" Bassena raised his brow.

"He's the guide we want to recommend for your group, Sir." the Captain said truthfully, feeling like they would finally get out of this dead-end discussion. He expected that with the highest rank among them deciding, the matter would be finalized.

What the Captain didn't expect, though, was Bassena clapping his back. "Hahaha, aren't you a clever man!" it might be intended as praise, but a Saint-class esper's power was not one to be taken in lightly. "Go on, call him."

Agni laughed softly, trying hard not to wince from the powerful slap and rubbed on his back. 'Isn't he supposed to be a magician-type?' the Captain shook his head while walking to the next room to send a message to the outpost.

Whilst the Captain making his call, however, Naomi tried to sound her disagreement—no, her concern. "...but...Mister Vaski, that guide doesn't have a proper license—"

It was a mistake.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" immediately after she voice her doubt, Bassena looked at her with piercing eyes. It felt like there was an invincible force constricting her, like a binding skill. But she knew it wasn't a skill. It was merely his gaze, like a deadly predator. It was a trait that could be seen in a dungeon boss—[inflict fear].

Under such a gaze, there was nothing Naomi could do but stood frozen and lower her face. She might be a 4-star, but her star was nothing in front of an apex sentinel. With a cold voice, Bassena spoke. "That's because I don't care about it, so shut up, yeah?"

She should. She wasn't here as an expedition manager. She was here to make sure Bassena Vaski and Han Shin were in a stable mood and condition. She couldn't answer with her dry throat, so she just nodded silently.

"Geez, Bas, be a little gentle, will you?" the healer shook his head, and flicked his finger at Naomi. Immediately, the frozen and scared woman relaxed, albeit for a little bit. She turned toward Han Shin and bowed her head, feeling thankful for the mental healing. "This is why no one likes you!"

Scoffing with an uninterested gaze, Bassena just shrugged. "That's your job, Shin."

Good cop, bad cop—their role was always the same in Trinity. The ruthless and cold vice guildmaster, the cheerful and kind chief researcher.

At that time, the Captain came back from the other room. "He's on his way."

"Oh, good," the smile came back to Bassena's face.

The Captain didn't know why, but the atmosphere seemed tense when he came in. Naomi was especially pale, and except for Han Shin that just casually tapped on the table with a smile, everyone was quiet. He looked at Ron inquisitively, who just signaled with his eyes that 'it's not our business'.

And so the Captain said nothing and just continued to talk about the arrangement with the rather distracted Naomi while they were waiting for the guide. The tense atmosphere, however, did not dissipate until the meeting room door opened fifteen minutes later.

All eyes then turned toward the man wearing thick protective clothes and a filtering mask. He ruffled his black hair as he came inside and scrutinized the room with his deep blue eyes. The gaze was hardened for a second when it landed on Bassena—who had a smirk planted on his face and waved his fingers at the man—before turning expressionless again.

The first one to open their mouth after the man's entrance, however, was the sharpshooter.

Sierra Alduz stood up abruptly and suddenly shouted. "Mister Zen?!"

At that, eyes were shifted to her, and one particular gaze hardened. Amber eyes narrowed into a frown, and Bassena cursed. "What the fuck?"