Anchorage City Hall - Daytime
The Anchorage City Hall towered majestically in the heart of the city, built of smooth obsidian and sacred crystals that absorbed and reflected light. Inside, the main hall was round, like a giant bowl that perfectly accommodated sound and light
A gentle breeze blew through the gaps in the tall stained glass that shaded the main room of the city hall. The light of the magic crystals hanging from the arched ceiling reflected a silvery blue on the white marble floor. A giant round table engraved with the emblems of the five academies stood majestically in the center of the room. In the middle of the table, a large magic crystal emitted a faint blue light as a symbol of unity and oneness of decision
Around the table, the principals and their vice principals had sat, staring at each other with gazes filled with suspicion and boredom. Among them:
The Principal of Mazon Academy, an elegant woman in a purple dress who spoke in a voice floating like mist
The Principal of Machimus Academy, a man in a metal robe with optical crystal eyes and mechanical hands
The Principal of Steel Academy, an old commander in uniform with sharp eyes like an eagle
The Principal of Virgila Academy, a man with sharp glasses who was constantly writing something down in his floating grimoire
In the chair belonging to Unio Academy… only Fiona sat, upright, with her arms crossed over her chest. Her cold blue eyes stared at the magitek wall clock with the patience of an executioner
Fiona:"Ten minutes late. Not your best record, Sherman" she whispered flatly, but firmly
The atmosphere buzzed with the soft voices of the principals answering each other
The Principal of Virgila Academy:"So... Sherman who invited us, hasn't arrived yet" he muttered AS he continued to write down the Grimoire. His voice was off-key, as usual
The Principal of Mazon Academy:" Hehe... Maybe he forgot the time, nothing new for Sherman" She said with a chuckle
The Principal of Steel Academy:" I'm not here to waste my precious time to stay here!" he replied while sitting up straight
Meanwhile, at the end of the room, the Anchorage Council was present, sitting on a black stone chair engraved with ancient spells. Two armored guards stood on his right and left sides, each holding a shining magic spear.
The sound of the staff hitting the floor rang loudly
Duuuk!
Council:" Enough with the jokes" he said
Council:" This meeting will begin soon. Please be quiet and maintain protocol"
Then...
Tak! Tak! Tak!
There was a sound of rapid footsteps
Sherman entered with quick steps and his breath was a little short
Sherman:" Ahahaha… sorry, sorry!" he said with a slightly messy appearance
Fiona:" Finally you've come, you're the one who held this meeting. And you're the last to come" he said while squinting, still sitting upright
Sherman smiled stiffly, rubbing the back of his neck. Then he sat down in his seat of honor beside Fiona
The council waved his hand, then created a sound-sealing magic. A circle of light appeared above the room and enveloped the meeting. Sound from outside could not enter, and sound from inside would not come out
ZzZZZMMM...
The Anchorage Council:" This meeting has officially begun. Sherman, please" he replied
Sherman nodded. His face was now serious, his tone changed to heavy
Sherman:" Ladies and gentlemen… I have something very important to say. The Hive, a terrorist organization that has taken over much of the southern region, has now infiltrated Anchorage without the Anchorage security system knowing"
BLAAARR!
The shock of the table being slammed like an explosion filled the room. The heads of the academies all straightened up at once
Head of the Machimus Academy:" What?! Impossible!" he exclaimed
Head of the Machimus Academy:" Anchorage's defense system is the most advanced!"
Head of the Steel Academy:" How did they manage to break through the city's security perimeter?" he asked
The room was abuzz. The sound of chairs creaking, people began to discuss heatedly
Anchorage Council:" Quiet!"
Duk!
The stick was snapped once again
Then the situation began to calm down after hearing the snap of the Anchorage Council's stick
Anchorage Council: "Sherman, continue"
Sherman nodded, then he began to explain why he could make such a conclusion. He said that at that time at night, while walking back to the academy, he was suddenly attacked by one of his subordinates The Hive
Sherman managed to defeat him, and began to ask, who sent him? But it was too late because the subordinate committed suicide with a poison magic rune implanted on his tongue, so Sherman could not interrogate him
Although he was dead, the clothes he was wearing had a distinctive symbol with a picture of a skull and two crossed weapons. Similar to The Hive, so Sherman could only conclude this
After hearing Sherman's story, some of the academy heads fell silent. Others looked at each other worriedly
Board member asked
Board member: "Why did they come to Anchorage?"
Fiona answered, her voice calm and steady
Fiona:" Most likely… to find the fragments of The One's Relic"
All the heads of the academies turned to her
The Principal of the Virgila Academy:" The relic is just a legend" he said skeptically
Fiona looked at her straight in the eye
Fiona:" But The Hive believes in it. We can't ignore it just because we think it's a fairy tale"
Sherman also added
Sherman:" The relic… has never been found. But considering this island is one of The One's legacies, we can't deny it. We don't have any proof yet, but we can't gamble with the lives of the people"
Then the atmosphere of the meeting began to fall silent
....
Until finally, The Principal of the Steel Academy leaned forward
The Principal of the Steel Academy:" We, the Steel Academy will send a night patrol unit. Two squads early tonight as a precaution"
Fiona:" Good, and we need to keep this a secret from the public. Mass panic will speed up their movements"
Then the Anchorage Council began to stand
The Anchorage Council:" Agreed. The city of Anchorage will increase patrols, strengthen checkpoints, and keep this information confidential. The 5 Academies are expected to work together to eliminate the Hive"
The principals and vice principals of the academies began to nod, some still hesitant, but none openly denied
Sherman:" Phew... Thank goodness... I thought we would have a verbal battle like usual..."
The meeting slowly broke up.
Step by step, the academy representatives walked out of the large room.
But before Fiona also walked out, she turned around, staring at Sherman sharply.
Fiona:" By the way... How about the division of the S-class Dungeon groups? It's done, right?"
Crack! [Sherman's sound of glass shattering]
Cold sweat began to flow down Sherman's temples. He smiled stiffly
Sherman:" Eh... ah... actually I... almost finished... only... 80% left... hehe?"
Fiona: "Sherman" she said as she pushed her glasses and started to glow
Fiona's voice sounded like a sword being sheathed
Fiona: "There's only two days left before the practice. Finish it tonight. Or I'll tell the Council to cut your salary"
Sherman: "O-okay, Fiona! Of course! I'll do it right after I get back from here! Quickly!" Sherman quickly left the room
Followed by Fiona who turned elegantly and walked out of the room
Meanwhile...
In the corner of the now deserted room, an ordinary-looking man wearing a black robe that disguised his identity, touched his chest pocket. He took out a small blue crystal, which emitted a faint light
He pressed his finger, and wrote in a magic spell
—"Confirmation: The five academies and Anchorage will increase patrols tonight. To all members of The Hive, be careful."—
The crystal sparkled... then disappeared in a thin smoke.
The man slipped his hand back, and slowly left the room, blending into the shadows of Anchorage's afternoon turning into dusk.
***
Two days later, Monday. Dungeon practice for Unio Academy began