"What is Reunion anyway?" Apollo asked Phoenix as he broke another infected out.
"We are a band of infected that fight for other infected. We fight those who hurt us just because we were unlucky to get inflicted by oripathy, simply that." Phoenix responded as she broke the cage entrance in front of you. "Are you sure you aren't willing to join us? We have some strong fighters and casters."
"I rather not, I already have a job that I enjoy." Apollo responded.
Phoenix's expression went blank as she did a showcase of all the dead bodies Apollo caused as if she was saying 'I don't believe you.'.
"This is just a side hustle." Apollo responded naturally.
"Whatever." Phoenix said as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.
"Since you have more knowledge on this type of stuff. Why are the infected locked up down here?"
"There could be a few reasons. Either they were gonna get sold to some sicko, bought by the Empire to be sent to the mines or be killed off down here. However, no matter which one is true, they are likely gonna die in the end." A hatful flame could be seen in Phoenix's eyes as she explained.
"I see, so no matter where I go things like this will always be there." Apollo could only sigh at this fact. "Were you able to catch the client who was planning to buy the victims? I heard some of the guards talking about it." Apollo faced Phoenix.
"Not from what I heard of. It could be that the client isn't here or ran away once he realized you were slaughtering the guards." Phoenix gave her two senses.
"Tragic."
After some time the Reunion members and Apollo freed all the infected while giving them needed treatment. Apollo said his goodbye confirming to Phoenix for the last time he isn't joining Reunion. Apollo took off the bear costume, burning it using magecraft so no one can trace it back to him. Once all evidence was destroyed he safely made his way back to his room.
Upon entering his room, Apollo could see the hue of the sky start to turn a sky blue color. "Guess my little stroll took most if not all of my night. Tragic." Most people would consider hitting the hay to get as much sleep as possible, but Apollo's abnormal body didn't allow it. "While I do appreciate Hermes for everything about my body, I wouldn't be able to do half the things I could do without her. However, forcing myself to sleep isn't something I enjoy too much."
Apollo could only sigh as he looked at the time, it was around 6AM. The breakfast cafeteria is about to open so Apollo took a quick shower, pulled out new clothes from his chest to change in and walked back out.
Apollo reached the dining area. The place was largely empty as you could hear the banging and clanging of the chiefs in the back. Marth was able to see the Cafeteria in a largely empty state. The clanking of the pots from the kitchen was the main source of sound in the room. Marth scanned the area; there were a few operators already there, but the main thing that caught his attention was a certain cat.
"I knew you hated sleep Kal'tsit." Apollo said as he approached the medical head.
"Morning to you Apollo." Was all she replied as she looked at the menu.
A moment of silence was all Apollo could reply with by her dry response.. "Morning Kal'tsit."
Apollo took a seat across from her, looked at the menu and ordered his food as well. Leaving the two in a silence, an uncomfortable one for Apollo.
'I swear Kal'tsit could fit the description of a haughty noblemage back home.' Thoughts of how Kal'tsit would fit in the world of magecraft back home flooded his mind.
"Could you tell me about yourself?"
"Huh?" Apollo snapped out of his thoughts.
"Tell me about yourself Apollo. You joined Rhodes Island and I have the feeling that we'll be working with each other a lot."
Apollo could only slouch in his chair as the feeling that they'll be working together a lot in future was something he couldn't argue. He collected his thoughts and got back upright.
"Well for starters I was adopted. I have memories of my biology parents but they were short lived, I was picked up by a priest. I lived with him and another man that I considered to be my older brother but I doubt he considers me as one, his personality didn't allow him to." Apollo talked as a waiter came with two glasses of water.
" That would explain the cross then. Sounds like a troublesome character if his personality didn't allow him to see you as a brother." Kal'tsit replied as she took a sip of water.
"We were all troublesome people in our own ways. That's how I ended up in a lot of sticky situations." Apollo could only chuckle as he remembered all the adventures he had traveling with Hermes.
"I've thought it over and decided that I'll take you up on your offer or at least entertain it."
"Offer?"
"The offer you proposed during our ride here. To share your knowledge of 'magic'."
Apollo's interest in the conversation was already high but the fact that Kal'tsit is accepting the offer has raised his interest further.
"While I do appreciate this, I will only teach a small number of people."
"The reason for that is?"
"Simple, the way my 'magic' works which I'll be calling magecraft from now on works on the idea of mystery."
Kal'tsit placed her hand on her chin. "Explain."
Apollo sighed. "Magecraft is fueled by mystery which basically means the less something is understood by people the stronger it is. For some reason the universe uses people as the benchmark of understanding. Therefore the less people understand it, the stronger the spells cast."
"So that's why you want a small amount of people." Kal'tsit eyes narrowed. "It's safe to assume that Marth is one of those people?"
"At first I wasn't planning too hard on teaching her; I won't lie that the thought has crossed my mind. However that changed when she approached me herself asking about my homeland and what we do there."
"If that's the case then how about this, I'll pick a list of operators and you'll decide from that list who you wish to teach, will you agree to those terms?" Kal'tsit maintained eye contact with Apollo.
"Here's the food you two ordered. One order of pancakes and an order of spicy sausages."
Both turned to the waiter with two plates in hand, the spicy aroma of Apollo's plate overpowered Kal'tsit causing it to be the smell flowing into everyone's nose.
"Thank you" Apollo and Kal'tsit said in unison.
The waiter placed the food on the table and left. As if on cue a certain voice could be heard.
"I have now graced this place with my presence!"
"Stop yelling Ifrit. Not only is it rude, it's also early in the morning. People here are still likely tired."
"I will agree with Silence on this matter."
Apollo turned around to see the rest of the Rhodes Island operators on the trip enter the dining area. He didn't spend too long as she turned back to Kal'tsit.
"To finish this conversation. I'll accept the terms as long as you keep this magecraft teaching as secret as possible."
"Deal." Kal'tsit stretched out her hand. "I hope that the things you will teach will help Rhodes Island in their goals."
A smile appeared on Apollo's face. "Have I ever disappointed you yet?"
"That is to be seen." Kal'tsit replied as she ate her pancakes.
Apollo turned towards Ifirt and the others. Ifirt was playing around with her food while Silence was giving death glares just like a mother would he assumed, this caused Ifirt face to whiten in color causing her to settle down. Doberman did nothing as she watched with a mostly neutral expression with a cup at her lips.
"Am I really cut out for this?"
Marth repeated this phrase over and over again as she practiced the magecraft Apollo showed her. She was able to enforce but was still unable to draw out the mana from the cube.
"Where am I?"
Marth looked around to not see the room she had become accustomed to, rather it was the room she grew up back in Kazdel. The various toys sprawled around the floor with signs of wear brought a small smile to her face, a smile she didn't think she would do again.
"Marth? Are you awake, dinner's ready!"
The sound of her mother flooding her ears was like lighting to Marth's heart. She could feel her fists tighten, and her eyes water as she embraced the sound she was close to forgetting after all that happened.
"Maybe it was all a dream, nothing bad happened. Mother and father will be downstairs, then I will head to school and play with the others."
Countless thoughts and memories of the past flooded her mind as she walked towards the door, completely believing in them. So much so that she didn't realize that on her check was a bandage that covered a small scar she received when she overloaded a wooden cube with mana. She walked towards the door and turned the knob.
What she was greeted with was in her mind the worst outcome. The walls were gray and lifeless, with the rolling hills of Terra moving along clearly seen out the window. It was the room she now lived in on the Rhodes Island landship. She looked at the ground to see the shattered remains of wooden cubes.
"Am I really cut out for this?"
Marth repeated this phrase over and over again as she practiced the magecraft Apollo showed her over this past week. She was able to enforce but was still unable to draw out the mana from the cube, in her eyes, she hit a wall.
"Am I wasting Mr. Apollo's time?"
These thoughts permeated Marth's mind and heart, dragging her into a deeper depression. The comfort of her bed wasn't doing much to deal with the variety of negative emotions. The only thing she could do was pity herself and everyone who wasted their time because of her own incompetence.