Chương 64: A Strange Promotion

Say what? The… the main headquarters?! Scillo stared at the boulder, his face frozen with absolute disbelief. For a long, agonizing second, his body refused to cooperate. Then, as if moving in a trance, he robotically climbed down from the wagon bed, his boots hitting the earth. His mind was whirling, simply trying to process the rapid-fire revelations the handler had just dropped on him. First was the sheer absurdity of the geography.

How was the main headquarters of their entire global operation existing inside a random boulder lost in the barren northern wilderness? But the second realization was what made his blood turn cold. Why had a low-ranked operative like him been brought to the main headquarters directly? The list wasn't encouraging. Disciplinary action. Termination. Scillo shivered.

He knew that in this organization, termination would likely involve a windowless cell multiple feet underground, or more likely, a painful, unceremonious death. Seriously, what did they want with him? He was only a simple operative who had spent most of his career filing reports and conducting scouting missions. Even the Elders of his hometown base, people who had served the organization for decades, had never been once summoned to the main headquarters. And yet here Scillo was. Why? Oh, why? He grimaced.

Could it be because of the horrible boy's contract? Had the organization somehow detected it? After all, the organization's Binding Oaths had tracking components built into them, he knew that much. Could those components have sensed a secondary contract sitting alongside the original? Did they already know?

"Are you okay?" The handler asked, patting Scillo's arm. Scillo flinched, before he caught himself. Desperately, he tried to smooth over the blunder with a nervous chuckle.

"I'm fine. Just... catching my breath." He cursed mentally the moment the words left his mouth. Catching his breath? What kind of idiotic excuse was that? He hadn't even been running. The handler, however, didn't seem to notice the slip-up at all. He continued to smile warmly.

"Very good. Now, follow me." They walked over to the door engraved into the stone, where the two mysterious operatives had positioned themselves on both sides, their expressions vacuous and professional. The handler smiled at the door, a hint of pride in his crinkled eyes. Then he turned to Scillo.

"This is your first time here, yes?" Scillo gulped. Was this some sort of trick question?

"Yes," he blurted out.

"Wonderful," the handler said, beaming.

"Then allow me to explain one thing before we proceed." He turned to face the door, pointing at the rough stone surface.

"Crossing this door will implant a secondary Oath onto you," he said delightfully.

"It's different from your initial contract, as it binds you specifically to the location's confidentiality. You will be unable to lead anyone here, describe its position, or communicate anything that would allow another party to find it." Scillo stared at the door, the knot of dread in his stomach becoming even tighter.

"And if I choose not to cross it?" he asked, fighting to keep his voice conversational. The handler raised his eyebrows humorously, nodding at the two operatives on either side of the door. Scillo coughed.

"Righttt," he murmured quietly.

"Standard procedure, huh?"

"Precisely," the handler agreed warmly, before turning back to the door. Reaching out, he pressed his bare palm onto the stone. Immediately, with a sudden, violent CRACK, the boulder exploded outward in a shower of brilliant light, shards of rock flying everywhere. Scillo jerked back violently, losing his footing. In a desperation to keep himself balanced, his arms windmilled wildly before he managed to barely catch himself from eating the frozen dirt.

But as the ringing in his ears faded, he realized there was no flying debris or smoke clogging the air. He looked up, incredulous, until realization dawned on him. The violent explosion had been nothing more than a… A illusion? Scillo now saw that in reality, the rectangular door had simply vanished, leaving behind a perfectly smooth, dark opening into the stone. He blinked, his heart still hammering against his ribs, and glanced over at the handler.

The man was leaning casually against the side of the boulder, a broad grin of humor splitting his face. He had clearly known exactly what the illusion was going to do. Catching Scillo's furious glare, he shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle, wiping a tear of mirth from the corner of his eye.

"Every single time," the handler murmured, lifting himself off the boulder.

"The rune-smiths swore they fixed the entrance last month. It's supposed to part like a velvet curtain, my boy. But frankly, I prefer the explosion better." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He gave a final shake of his head, and stepped toward the newly formed entrance, gesturing for Scillo to follow. Scillo swallowed the lump of adrenaline in his throat and cautiously stepped up.

Near the hole, the air was reeking with the stench of ozone, and as he peered through the magical tear, he found that beyond it was a corridor. It descended in a steep slope into the earth, lit by lamps that carried balls of ghostly blue flames. The inside felt much warmer than the frozen plain outside, and the earthy smell of ancient dust and oil drifted out. The handler stepped through without hesitation, as did the two operatives. Meanwhile, Scillo was hesitating, standing at the edge alone.

Would the secondary Oath possibly alert the higher ups about the horrible boy's contract, sitting right besides his original Oath? His legs felt like they were made of water. But Scillo didn't even have much of a choice, did he? The one exit behind him only led to a frozen plain in the middle of nowhere. Holding his breath and mustering up the last dregs of his courage, he stepped through.

The frigid feeling of a wave of cold water showering him immediately from his head to the soles of his feet covered him, then was gone in under a second. He gasped involuntarily at the sensation, his hand flying to his chest. Beneath his palm, he could already feel the second Oath settle into place. Forcing himself to put one foot ahead of the other, he walked down the corridor.

It truly was mystical, the pale blue flames in the lamp fixtures burning without even a hint of a flicker or smoke, casting everything in a cold light. The handler had slowed down, giving Scillo time to catch up and stand beside him.

"The headquarters is organized vertically," he sai explained.

"Seven levels in total, each one descending deeper into the earth. The level you enter on determines your clearance." He smiled gently.

"You'll be spending most of your time on level two, the place where most general operatives reside and work."

"What's on level one?" Scillo asked.

"Bunch of administrative jargon. Arrivals, departures, general coordination, things like that." He waved his hand dismissively, then paused.

"Also the kitchens. You must try their salt bread, my boy. Some of the best I've ever tasted."

"What about the floors below level two?"

"Level three is research and intelligence." He gave Scillo a teasing eyebrow.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't describe to you Levels four through seven, as they're above your current clearance." He smiled agreeably.

"Perhaps someday, huh?" Scillo awkwardly chuckled.

"Maybe some—" The words died in his throat as the corridor suddenly leveled out, the abrupt change in incline cutting off his train of thought. Then, at the sight before him, Scillo stopped dead in his tracks. What the hell… He had been expecting a claustrophobic subterranean network. Maybe a few damp stone corridors and a handful of private offices. But this.. He had certainly not been expecting this.

The space that had opened before him was absolutely gargantuan, a vast underground cavern whose ceiling was so high up that it disappeared. The walls had been aggressively dressed and worked, the natural stone having been carved into fancy architectural designs. There wasn't a single crude speck in sight, everything looking as though it had been polished by a master mason. Another aspect Scillo hadn't been expecting was the sheer scale of the population. This place was absolutely crawling with people.

Not just a handful of them. No, there were hundreds. Scillo's eyes widened as the reality sank in. This wasn't just some regular headquarters. This was an entire underground civilization! Cementing that realization were the structures themselves. There were actual, multi-storied buildings constructed directly against the worked cavern walls in neat rows.

Glancing over the city, Scillo could already pick out a sprawling medical station, a massive armory, and further down, multiple training rings where hordes of operatives were executing combat drills. But the most mind-numbing thing was that… Every single one of them looked like they could kill him with a flick of their wrist! A woman walking past him was guiding what appeared to be a living shadow on a leash, the darkness pooling around her feet. The leash was a thin chain of what looked like concentrated light.

Just a few feet away, a young man effortlessly hoisted an enormous shipment of crates that should have required multiple pulley systems. The smell of ozone filling the air, Scillo glanced over to a woman who was conversing with a tall, handsome man. The image would've been normal if not for the stray sparks of localized lightning dancing over her knuckles. What the hell is this place? Scillo felt cold sweat start to form on his forehead. Why is everyone here a monster?

It made his own years of grueling academy training feel entirely pathetic.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, my boy." Besides him, the handler smiled knowingly, cocking his head.

"How is everyone..." Scillo stammered, unable to take his eyes off a duo in the training rings who were moving so fast their blades were just silver blurs.

"How are there this many of them? Where do you even find people like this?" The handler chuckled.

"Ah, the old regional imposter syndrome. Don't let it bruise your ego too deeply. You're looking at the top one percent of the one percent, my boy." Reaching out, he clapped Scillo on the shoulder.

"Follow me." He turned and began walking without waiting for a response. Scillo wordlessly obeyed, because what else could he do? As they moved through the crowds, his attention soon changed from the powerful operatives to the powerful Ghenna creatures moving alongside their handlers. The first one he saw he vaguely recognized, a Floor 7 creature called a Pyin Beetle. It was a massive quadrupedal beast, its body composed of jagged volcanic rock with pulsating magma right underneath the rocky plates.

The second was roughly humanoid in shape but made from some sort of compressed water. Somehow, it moved. And not just moved, it did it with a fluid grace, its surface rippling at the movements. The third looked almost like a Capling, but was like it had been enhanced with combat drugs, thick veins of some sort of green fluid pushing through its skin. It shivered and quivered, its eye burning with an animalistic fury. The handler nodded at the strange, violent creature.

"That guy is from Floor 23. Called a Gillkin. Don't stare at it too long; it'll get all nasty at you." Scillo flinched, looking away quickly. He couldn't even bear to imagine what the Gillkin would do to him if it was mad. They persisted onwards, until the handler stopped at another one of those doors that had been carved perfectly into the stone wall. He pressed his palm against it. This time it folded gracefully outward like a velvet curtain.

"Much better," the handler said approvingly. They descended a narrow staircase, the two silent operatives following them in. In the silence, Scillo desperately tried to calm himself. His mind was going in several directions at once, none of them helpful. Seriously, all of the sheer revelations he was casually receiving were crippling his thinking. Now the question he'd been asking himself since he'd left Crater City seemed more dreadful than ever. Why am I here? Still, he kept it down.

Asking questions was exactly the most wrong thing he could do. Right now, he should observe and stay quiet. That was the sensible approach. But as the silence pressed in, seeming to suffocate him… Scillo's mouth opened, and he blurted it out.

"Why am I here?" The words were out before he could stop them. And he regretted it instantly, completely, with every cell in his body. The handler stopped walking. Scillo pursed his lips together, his face and the back of his neck flushing with heat, and he winced hard, waiting for something terrible to happen. Then the handler looked back over his shoulder, beaming warmly and with pride.

"You've been promoted, my boy," he said jubilantly.

"Congratulations!" Say what?