Chương 13: Clearance

Jonathan got out of the car and resisted the urge to stretch. He'd finished putting the most recent stat points into his screen and despite his frustration with easy growth, he found that he felt a sense of satisfaction in seeing the numbers on his Status go up.

Status Name: Jonathan Reeves - Level 9 Class: None HP: 148/160 MP: 100/100 Traits: (1/3) {Rage} Titles: <One Against Many> One Against Many Physical Stats: Strength: 20 Agility: 17 Constitution: 16 Vitality: 16 Magical Stats: Intellect: 11 Willpower: 13 Mana: 10 Wisdom: 11 Active Skills: [Rending Strike] (Novice - Level 2) Passive Skills: (None) He hadn't really known where to put the 6 points, so he felt a sense of satisfaction in bringing his Strength to 20.

He then split the remaining four between Agility with two, and one for both Constitution and Vitality. Despite his injuries, his body felt strong. Jonathan moved to the back door of Elijah's car as it turned off and got out as well. He had been on the phone for the last twenty minutes, going back and forth with someone while holding the phone to his ear. Grunting, Jonathan reached into the back seat and grasped the handle of the large axe. He was surprised to feel something right about holding the leather grip.

He lifted the weapon and slid his hand up to grip a few inches below the large axe head. It was a terrifying weapon just by its appearance alone. It had a double-sided head, each side had a broad curve, tapering into flared tips at the top and bottom. In his mind, it created a striking silhouette that looked like a pair of deadly bat wings. The blade itself was crafted from dark, sturdy steel and gleamed ominously as it caught the light.

He held the blade closer to himself and looked down at the weapon's sharp edges. Measuring almost two feet in width, the head of the axe was both impressive and intimidating. He squeezed his left hand into the gritty leather grip and felt the weight shift. Jonathan had to admit to himself that the deadly weapon made him feel powerful and he wasn't sure what he thought about those feelings. The haft of the axe seemed a bit over four feet in length and was made from a sturdy wood.

The textured, black leather wrapping provided him with an easy way to grip the length of the axe. He grasped the handle below the head and let the weight fall to his side, careful of the sharpened edges. Walking to the front of the car, he smirked as Elijah explained to someone on the other end of the phone that there was now a gash in the top of his work vehicle. When the call ended, Elijah muttered a few choice words before leading the way to the barricade that was set up a short distance away.

There was a challenge and password exchanged as they approached and while Elijah had an ID Card already in his hand, Jonathan could tell that the soldiers holding duty weapons looked nervous about the greataxe by his side. They'd passed through the vehicle barricade a short distance down the dirt road and Elijah went through an identification check there.

"I'm Agent Elijah Carter with the Hunter's Association. You should have just received a call about our arrival." He handed over his ID. The closest soldier accepted the badge and asked for Jonathan's information as well. When he didn't have any available identification, it took Elijah threatening to call his supervisors for him to walk into the nearby guard hut and made a radio call. When he hung up the call, the private glanced nervously at the pair through the dirty window.

He bent down at the waist below the glass and Jonathan knew he was likely writing their information down in a logbook. When he returned, he ushered them through the blockade. Jonathan struggled silently to keep up with the pace that was set, but he was surprised to find that he felt significantly refreshed. The fatigue in his muscles and general fog of running on fumes for several days in the Rift seemed to be almost completely washed away. Only the current injuries slowed him down. Maybe easy growth isn't so bad.

They made their way deeper into the fortified area. He gritted his teeth and hunched his shoulders against the chilly Oregon weather, wishing he had some kind of sweatshirt to wear and wondering if the next Rift would be as warm as the last. As they moved through the camp, Jonathan was shocked at how much the military officials listened to Elijah and when they saw his badge, were willing to help him get Jonathan prepared to enter. They were directed to a portable home with thin walls and minimal furnishing.

They sat in foldable metal chairs while waiting for the captain to come brief them on the Rift. When Jonathan asked Elijah who his bosses were, or why he had so much power in something like the military camp, the younger agent just smiled and stated that he was with the Hunter's Association. He beamed with pride, and it was clear to Jonathan that he felt it to be an accomplishment to join the organization.

"I don't outrank anyone here, but it's more like the Hunter's Association is a part of the Army. The difference is, we're all Awakened and the whole purpose of this branch of the government is to help regulate and contain these anomalies." Jonathan nodded in response, appreciating the notion. He wondered if Marcus would have wanted to try and join the Hunter's Association, if given the chance. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

His thoughts were interrupted by Captain Dell entering. His military cut brown hair, and crisp uniform gave Jonathan a good first impression. The first words out of his mouth, however… did not.

"I don't give a rat's ass who you are, how high your clearance is, or what kind of pretty badge you've got. I have men inside there and I'm not sending this busted up sandbag in after 'em. The last thing they need is dead weight. You understand that through that blue ball of energy is an entirely different world? One where technology doesn't work, and guns are about as effective as throwing rocks?" The captain walked across the small space and stood close to the seated pair.

It was clear to Jonathan that he was making an attempt at physical intimidation by invading personal space and taking the higher position. He kept his face neutral, pushed his metal chair back a few inches, and stood to create an extra foot of space. While he wasn't intimidated in the least, he never liked the idea of potentially giving someone the first shot at such a large advantage. Learned that one the hard way. As Jonathan stood, he sized up the captain.

The man was the same height as Jonathan while hunched over to keep his cuts from opening. After staring down the Rock Troll Chieftain, Jonathan wondered if any human would ever look intimidating to him again.

"Sir, I assure you-" Elijah was cut off mid-sentence as the captain held up his hand. He kept eyes locked with Jonathan but addressed Elijah with a smile on his face.

"I don't want to repeat myself, Agent. You two can either wait until my men come back in a few days, or you can pack up and leave." Jonathan shrugged, intentionally looking away from the captain, though angled his good side toward the man.

"I don't care about waiting a few days." Despite his calm appearance and demeanor, he could feel his pulse quicken and his heart begin to hammer. There was a surprising moment as he felt {Rage} begin to reach for his consciousness and some abnormally aggressive thoughts enter his head. This guy is really going to try and stop me from fighting? Jonathan realized that he didn't even know his own strength at this point, and he could find out at the same time the captain did. No.

His eyebrows came together, as he made a conscious effort to squash the aggressive thoughts. He knew that it wasn't like him to instigate a fight. Wondering if he'd been embracing the System trait too much in the last week of fighting, he reined in those feelings. He resolved that the anger needed to be directed at the Rifts and those monsters that took his son's life, not this military officer who was trying to protect his men. Jonathan was surprised by Elijah's response.

"No," Elijah shook his head and squared his shoulders to the taller man.

"Captain, it's funny- just before you stormed in here, I was telling Jonathan, a potential Hunter who just closed a Rift by himself, how we are a branch of the Department of Defense. Just like the Army. We're all on the same team here, isn't that right? As far as I'm aware, Mr. Reeves has the most combat experience in this room, both before and after the Rifts began to appear." Jonathan felt uncomfortable being advocated for in a way that shared his own deeds, but he knew men like Dell.

Combat experience, prior service, and accolades could go a long way to swaying his opinion. It was clear the captain wasn't happy, and just before he would speak again, Elijah added, "I know you don't 'care what my clearance is,' but I can assure you that my direct supervisor could have you signing a GOMOR and likely removed from your post so fast it would make your head spin." There was another tense moment before Captain Dell grunted and stormed out of the small room just as quickly as he'd come in.

Jonathan raised his eyebrows and nodded at Elijah while giving a thumbs up.

"Nice job, kid. Wasn't expecting that from you." Elijah's confidence cracked a bit as he smiled and let out an explosive breath. From there, a much more respectful sergeant entered the room and brought some paperwork with him. There were typed notes from a previous team's debrief and what they'd experienced inside the Rift. There were hand sketches of the monsters within, apparently oversized wolves and other forest creatures. Most were between levels 5 - 10.

Jonathan had asked for information on the team inside, as to not cause any issues. He was given a challenge and password to use that would identify him as a comrade. At different points, Elijah stepped in and gave his own bits of knowledge to answer questions about how the two quests that are given would be the same as what others had received. Elijah asked a few more questions of the sergeant that Jonathan wouldn't have even known to ask.

When the Hunters Association agent found out that this was an Uncommon E Rank Rift, he seemed to get more excited. By the end of the hour, Jonathan felt that he had enough information and was beginning to feel tense for the upcoming conflict. The sergeant took Jonathan's clothing sizes and asked him to wait a bit longer before entering the Rift. The Rift was a forest biome though it was roughly twenty degrees colder than the already chilly October weather where they were.

Jonathan would receive a standard set of winter clothes to replace his current jeans and t-shirt. When they were alone again, Jonathan asked Elijah if he was ready.

"Ready? For what?"

"The Rift."

"Who- me?" Elijah looked back and forth.

"You're joking." Jonathan remained a deadpan face for a moment before a smile cracked his face.

"Not cool." He gestured at the axe on the table.

"This should make things a lot different than the last Rift." Reaching into his pocket, he removed the token as well.

"Can you tell me anything about this, or should I just use it on the axe?"

"Not much," Elijah held his hand out for the token.

"But I can use my [Analyze] skill on it and share the screen with you."

"You can share screens?" Elijah didn't answer, just waited a moment before demonstrating. E Rank Item - Item Enchantment Token Rarity: Common Type: (Consumable) Token Enchantment - Variable Based on Item"Looks like it will give you a different enchantment based on the item you put it on. I've only seen a few of these and they normally tell you what kind of item it can be used on."

"So, is it better that it can be used on any item?" Elijah shrugged and recommended that he use it on the axe if possible. Weapons seemed to be the most important thing to the teams he'd heard talk about their Rift missions.

"How do I use it?"

"Just break it with the back of your hand pressed to the item." Jonathan did so and watched as a silver light enveloped the already intimidating greataxe. When the light absorbed into the axe, they both noticed the unsettling sheen of red on the bladed portion of the weapon. Elijah leaned in, "Woah. Do you mind if I scan it too? We can see which enchantment it got." Responding with just a gesture, Jonathan waited until the agent shared a new blue screen between them.

E Rank Item - Ravager Greataxe Rarity: Uncommon Type: Greataxe Enchantment - Momentous Swings I, Grip I Token Enchantment (1/1) - Bitter Edge II"Wow, a Tier II enchantment got added. That must have been a better token than what I've seen used." He read over the window several more times.

"That's awesome, I haven't seen two of those before. Grip is pretty common, it will just let you hold onto the weapon easier, even if it's wet." Jonathan wanted to give the axe a few test swings, but didn't think that he'd be able to grip it well with the current state of his hand. While it wasn't tactically smart to test things in a live scenario, he felt that if the briefing was accurate, there would be monsters in the Rift that were weaker than he was after the gains from the System.

The sergeant returned shortly with winter gear for Jonathan to take into the Rift. The clothing was sturdy and well-worn, clearly military issue. He changed quickly, appreciating the warmth of the thick jacket against the October chill. After gathering his few belongings in a small pack, he slung it over his good shoulder. The walk to the Rift entrance was quiet. Jonathan could sense Elijah's nervousness beside him, but kept his own thoughts focused on what lay ahead.

The familiar blue glow of the Rift pulsed in the distance, a reminder of both what he'd lost and what he intended to do about it.