Chapter 150: Letter

    Having been dismissed by Pollux, I went to Headquarters to find Polly.

    When I arrived, I found her still doing paperwork. I approached and saluted, standing at attention silently.

    She ignored me as she continued filling out the page, taking a minute or so to scribe things down at a rapid yet consistent pace. Once she reached the bottom of the page, she took a breath, scribbled a neat signature, and turned to me.

    “Cooper. You know how to be patient. Keep that virtue.”

    “Yes ma’am.”

    “So? What do you need?”

    “I was told to come to you if I wanted to take the test for promotion to Captain.”

    “Ah.”

    She nodded and rested her hand on her fist, leaning against her backrest while crossing one leg over the other. Dressed in the summoner fatigues, she looked just like an office lady – except her gaze was hardened by years of menial paperwork and military experience.

    “Yes, you can put in for it, but the test won’t happen right away. You’ll first send in an application, which will be reviewed by High Command before getting accepted or rejected. If it’s accepted, it’ll be sent back down and I’ll give you the books to study. After studying them, you’ll take the test. Once you pass, I’ll carry out your promotion.”

    “Understood.”

    “Then wait here.”

    She stood and walked off to another room. Four minutes later, she was back. She placed two papers on the desk next to me.

    “There’s your application. Fill out the first page and I’ll complete the second. Here’s a pen, and there’s a table over there for you to use.”

    “Thank you.”

    I took the two items and headed to the table.

    The application consisted mostly of basic stuff, requiring details about me and my position in the military: duty station, commanding officer, requested rank, duration of service, etc.

    I filled out most things easily. Before long, the entire page was filled out. The only difficult part was what to put down under a section titled “Reasons for Application.”

    What was I supposed to put down there? Why did anyone want to be promoted? More money? Better benefits? It was like they couldn’t understand why anyone would want to have a higher rank.

    I rolled my eyes at that and put down some fluffy bullshit. Things like how I wanted to serve the Kingdom better, how effective I’d be being able to command more people, my past performance during academy. I had a hard time not cringing at my own work. I didn’t want it to seem like I was trying to jerk them off, but that was kind of how these things worked. It was all nothing more than ass kissing and false righteousness.

    Once done, I clicked my tongue and handed the page back to Polly. She looked over it, reading through my work before smirking and scribbling across the second page.

    “How ingratiating. Just based off this I’d think you were a noble.”

    “Seeing as I’m trying to appeal to nobles, I figured that would work best.”

    “Very true. But most people don’t even have this breadth of vocabulary, let alone know how to write in such a uselessly eloquent manner. Either way though, you’ve been on active duty for all of a day. I’d keep expectations realistic. Then again, if they’ve got their eyes on you, they’re probably waiting for this to come through with a stamp in hand.”

    “I certainly didn’t ask for it, but I’ll take what I can get.”

    “I would too.”

    With that she stamped the second page before putting them together.

    “That’s all, Cooper. I’ll send this out with the next shipment. And keep your ears open. You’ll be receiving a message from me tonight with an instructional brief. Go to sleep early tonight, the Pathfinders are getting an early start tomorrow.”

    “Understood.”

    I saluted her, receiving a quick salute back, before I left headquarters.

    Next stop, my dorm.

    I arrived in the room a little while before dinner. I decided to get myself comfortable with the free time I had.

    I figured that all of my issued gear should stay on me, so I just kept it in my storage. Then, I brought out the armor box.

    After setting it on my bed, I pulled off the letter attached to it, saw the insignia of a Marshal stamped on its front, and opened it.

    It was signed by Marshal Talerria of the 2nd Warlock Corps.

    My brows shifted higher as I read the letter.

    Hello John.

    “Ah. Thank you, sir.”

    I smiled. I had thought it was a video, but it seemed like it was programmed to connect us when I signed.

    “I look forward to working with you.”

    “As do I. I think an important step in realizing your value will be learning enchanting. Although enchanting relies on warlocks and mana, summoners play an important part in the design process. The only limitation, should a summoner completely understand enchanting, is the warlock’s ability to apply the enchantments according to the design. To that end, I’m currently the second best enchanter. The best currently resides at the top of the Magic Tower. For now, worry not about complexities and simply learn as much as you can. Anything you make will go through my hands first, and I’ll guide you should you need advice.”

    “Understood.”

    “As for your schedule, please take your time. Stronghold Charlie is one of the more dangerous places to be at. Focus on that before worrying yourself with education. You can’t design anything if you’re dead.”

    “Of course.”

    I smirked a bit. Then, Sawn nodded.

    “If you need anything, like a trip back to the capital should you want to leave the military, just let me know. Your workstation can send messages to my own. Leave them there, and I will respond when I can. I’ve also given you a sign-on bonus of one month’s pay. It should deposit into your bank soon.”

    “I’m grateful.”

    “Mm. Goodbye then.”

    The video call clicked off, leaving me to lean back into my seat.

    I was now an employee of Sawn Industries, given the freedom to create anything I wanted. I already had several pieces of technology I could give him, none of them magical, but more than revolutionary enough. And if I could learn enchanting, I’d be able to make some really special things.

    Although I wasn’t something like a full-fledged engineer since I barely graduated from college, I still had a working knowledge of several technologies. I knew how combustion engines worked, I knew how turbines worked, I knew how trains and cars worked, I even knew how to make things like looms and printing presses and several other basic technologies and tools.

    It really wasn’t difficult conceptually. Although the designs would be basic, it wasn’t like this world could handle anything more. They simply didn’t have the required base infrastructure. As I improved and put out more complex pieces, they would improve their ability to produce what I put out.

    The hardest part would be learning how to use whatever design program was on the workstation. After that, I could put together various technologies and send them off. I was also interested to see some of the designs they would send me. I didn’t know if I could improve them, but learning how they operated would be valuable.

    But that would wait for now. After turning off the workstation, I stood and left my room. It was about time for dinner.

    Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all at set times. Between those times, small snacks would be put out for anyone that needed a bit more sustenance.

    When I got to the chow hall, I found that most of the base was already there. I filled up my tray and went and found a sparsely populated table. I didn’t know anybody here yet, so I just stuck to myself.

    I gave a nod to the people at the other end of the table while I sat. There were three - two were Authority Eight while the other was Authority Nine. They seemed like friends and none of them cared enough to have a chat with me.

    I just ate my dinner while operating my Aerial, sending and receiving messages with Umara. We could go days at a time without talking to each other, while sometimes we’d hold conversations for hours at a time.

    She told me about the fact that she was close to Authority Six. She had already mentioned stuff about it so I wasn’t surprised seeing the topic in Talexia’s letter. However, one thing only Tana and I knew about was her recent advancements regarding Aura.

    From her descriptions of it, her breakthrough was sensory in nature. She told me how she could sense things in far greater detail, but, more than that, the things around her took on extra attributes. She said that the air took on different colors and textures while she could sense the inherent natures of different materials like metals and fabrics.

    Of course, these colors and textures she was seeing weren’t actually colors and textures. It was all sensed via Aura and Mana, and interpreted into something familiar by her brain. In the case of the colored air, I assumed that she was actually seeing the elements composing the air, things like nitrogen and oxygen. When I asked about it, she said that the majority of the air was composed of a neutral gray color while there were hints of blue. She couldn’t see much of anything else, unless she focused on different sources of other types of air.

    For instance, the air that someone exhaled appeared slightly different than ambient air. She said there was a greater hint of something similar to violet in that air. Perhaps that was carbon dioxide. And, in the case of fire, most of the air around it was violet, with streaks of red and orange diffused throughout.

    The conclusion after she had tested various things was that she was now able to differentiate elements, and not magical elements. Air was no longer just a transparent gas around her, but a mixture of different fluids. And most importantly, she was already learning how to focus her control based on the element. It was as simple as separating oxygen from nitrogen, but the applications for that kind of ability were endless.

    However, that in itself posed more questions.

    Why could she control some elements but not others? Why could she pull oxygen out of the atmosphere, but not something like iron out of the ground? Was it as simple as being the difference between a gas and a solid? Or did the magical Elements differentiate themselves based on other attributes?

    It felt like an impossible question to answer, especially since I wasn’t a warlock myself. I could only pose those questions to Umara and educate her in hopes that she could figure it out for herself. But no matter what, the question wouldn’t be answered until she mastered at least one other Element, like Fire, which she was currently trying to gain affinity for.

    Still, she was excited, and I was happy for her. Her Aura was starting to go down the path of precision, which would allow her to utilize the knowledge I was giving her. Being able to tell the difference between things like nitrogen and oxygen would be the first step in developing new spells that harnessed the power of exotic compounds and chemicals. One of her goals was harnessing poisonous gasses like mustard gas. Now, she had a place to start from.

    She’d be a force to be reckoned with very soon. I could hardly imagine her limits.

    With those thoughts in mind I polished off my tray and returned it to its designated disposal area. I left the chow hall wordlessly.

    Not long after that, I received a message on my Aerial from Polly.

    “Orders for the Pathfinders: Mission brief in Room 2 at 0500 hours.”

    I sent a quick acknowledgment and continued walking back to my room. That was an early wake up call.

    I set my alarm and got ready for bed. After finishing any organizing I had to do, I piled on my own cushions, blankets, and pillows onto the bed. There was no way I was sleeping on the standard issue cardboard pad. That was a lesson I had learned at the Magisterium. Always bring your own luxuries.

    After that, I hastened myself to sleep. I wondered how long my application would take to get processed. I hoped it wouldn’t be long. I’d like to rank up quicker than not.