Ria wasn't used to having dreams, but this ti she did.
She found herself on a path. One that wound about in the distance ahead of her.
It wound through the cosmos itself, wrapping about galaxies and spreading across the universe.
She found herself standing on it, having already trodden the path a great distance. And yet, it beckoned her to continue walking, alluring her to the universe that awaited her at the very end of the path.
"…What is this?" Her voice was one of confusion, echoing in an ethereal manner. "Is this… my Martial Path?"
It reminded her of her Martial Embodint.
The universe itself.
Strangely enough, she felt intuitively that it wasn't just a static background.
No.
It was… alive.
It was conscious.
It was powerful.
More powerful than anything she had ever felt in her entire life. It was everything there was. The cosmos, all the galaxies, stars, and life that existed, existed within it. And yet, she could feel this omnipotent entity beckoning her.
As if it wanted her to tread her path.
As if it needed her to tread her path.
Yet, before she could take even a single step, the world around her shattered.
A muffled voice reached her.
"Wake up, sleepy head."
Her eyes slowly opened as she found herself looking at her aunt poking her cheek. "You've slept long enough. Co on now."
Arastia appeared dressed, wearing a blood-red combat suit with lines of power running across the suit, while her blood-red hair was let down. Ria stretched slowly, dazed as she got up, yawning. "I feel like I didn't sleep all that much."
"You slept long enough. Ti to get ready, we have a big mission ahead of us. I'll be heading out early. You and Runark catch up as soon as you can."
Ria remained drowsy even as she began preparing. She popped a mouth brusher into her mouth, her eyes still half closed as the device systematically cleaned her mouth in a matter of seconds, before stepping into the shower where the hot water finally woke her up.
She rembered everything that awaited them for the rest of the day.
The mission to Amadeus III. A potentially infected world.
Imdiately, she grew more energetic and enthusiastic. If there was one part of the frontier that she truly enjoyed, it was the sense of adventure in the operations and missions.
She quickly got ready, having her body scrubbed clean of the sweat and gri she had accumulated the previous day with exfoliating nanotechnology, before shifting her gaze towards her brand-new exo-Martial suit, the Water Integunt. With a single command from her neural inlay, the suit turned into a flowing liquid that crawled across the bathroom floor before climbing up her bare body, completely covering her in the blink of an eye. Because the suit never got dirty, and because it had ergonomic properties to regulate temperature and moisture, she knew that she didn't really need any other attire. When she stepped outside, she found herself facing Runark, who had also worn his own EvoArmor suit, nodding at her with a hint of alacrity in his green eyes. "Let's go."
The sky outside was a lighter red than it normally was, courtesy of the two red dwarf stars that spanned across it. They shot across the residential wing of the Blood Humanist Society, returning to the operational wing of the facility.
The air in the operational sectional was busy and tense, with nurous employees, coordinators, and handlers seated across busy office sections, engrossed in computer terminals, etings, and phone calls. Ria guessed that at least part of the workload undoubtedly ca from the operation that she was partaking in.
The Blood Humanist Society had clearly put a lot into it. By the ti they arrived at the operational facility, they spotted a stream of nurous other pathwalkers also arriving for the operation, both external and internal.
"Ria. Runark."
Misha's relaxed voice drew her attention. The two of them turned to spot the young lady donning yet another blood suit, this ti checkered with more than just blood, comprising components with glowing circuitry all over them. It appeared she had made so last-minute improvents to the technology she had adopted. Her white cybernetic eyes contrasted sharply with her rich, dark skin, while she had dreadlocked her fro for convenience.
"You guys look ready," Sternon remarked beside her. His translucent eyes seed strangely fixed on Ria. "So we're all gathered here, then."
Ria still found his presence mildly nostalgic. Perhaps because his neo-evosapien side reminded her of her father. He wore a simple exosuit with no special features. Likely because he didn't think he needed it. His confidence didn't appear to be particularly shaken despite his defeat at Ria's hands.
She wondered if it was because he hadn't been going all out, or whether he thought that that would make a difference against her.
Siliscia, on the other hand, appeared to be particularly nervous. This was despite the fact that Ria could sense that she was strong, sothing that the others didn't appear to have caught on to yet, since she hadn't had the opportunity to show off her skill in combat.
Regardless, she averted her gaze, averting eye contact altogether, tanking Ria's hopes of whether she could remain in such a team in the long term.
"Everybody partaking in the Amadeus III mission, gather here." A powerful male voice drew the attention of the freelancer pathwalkers. "We will soon comnce planetary departure. Please complete your verification protocols until then."
They began going about beeping their identification against a register that verified them as registered pathwalkers, before being ushered towards a launch zone with nurous launch pods with the emblem of the Blood Humanist Society on their bodies, awaiting them out in the open. A special heat hung in the air, tingling at the skin, while the odor of oil and tal hung in the air.
"Please ensure that one party boards one pod. Pathwalkers with special needs, please co this way."
"Scan your licenses against the scanners inside."
"We will be comncing planetary departure shortly."
Soon enough, the door closed on the five pathwalkers in their little pod, before the pod vibrated with power, launching into the air with a powerful propulsive thrust.
FWOOSH!
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