Last Test (Personal)

“Another field trip huh? just wonder how many more...” he sighed looking outside through the window as the train fastly moved on its way to timber. Its not that it bothered him to get to go out on so many missions, it was due the fact that no matter how much hard he tried he seemed to always was end stuck with stupid tasks, besides having to carry along newbies. If that was some kind of test his instructors were giving him it sure had been a real difficult one. Irvin would like to least one time to meet, to have a partner that he really could count on instead of doing everything by his self, someone on the same level as him, not even in terms of strength, but a person who had the same willing force as he.

He was gazing at the hills moving outside when his new partners approached. “So?” One of them said crossing his arms and moving until standing next to Irvin.
“Huh... so what?” Irvin answered indifferently.
“You didn’t answered us, back there at the garden, why ain’t you already a seed?”
“Well... the reason, real truth is that...” he paused looking to both before finishing talking “i don’t really know, maybe they just want me as a free instructor to bothersome newbies who can’t do a thing by their selves, even that been a plausible reason i can’t really think of anything. I mean who knows what crap does the headmasters think most of time, right?.” Irvin said letting out a small laugh while looking to the face that both them made after hearing him. “But that's not really important right now” “why not? i mean Seeds are..” “like i said it’s not important right now, we should get ready it seems we’re almost there” They could feel it now as the train started decreasing its speed, slowing down until it finally reached to the station at timber and stopping.
Not a good, but either way a nice town, that was Timber, always with constant traveller movement due it’s train station, besides pigeons flying all over the place. Their objective was pretty much a simple one, track and put an end to a group causing problems to the office of the timber maniacs magazine.
“Where you think we should start searching for something? maybe at the timber maniacs?”
“Nope, we’re travelers, that’s the reason were not using uniforms, first of all we should just enjoy the town around and... well make a reservation at the hotel?” Irvin said while they walked away from the station and he carefully tried to observe everything around them, the people, the dogs, the buildings before turning back to the two and asking if they agreed with it, receiving agreements nods back from them as answer. While walking down the main street he felt like they were been watched or followed, even knowing as there was absolutely no reason to think in stuff like that as they had just arrived exactly as so many others, believing that he was just been so paranoid due his precautionary instincts.

“So room 16, now that everything is settled you guys can go” Irvin said after registering at the book and spinning the keys from the room with his finger on the key ring. “What you mean, you’re not coming with us?” “i’ll be here at our HQ if you guys discover anything or need me for something” “i think that now i understand why he hasn’t achieved it yet, anyway forget it and lets go” one of them angrily said, walking out from the Hotel before been followed by the other and leaving Irvin at the lounge of the hotel.

Irvin moved to the last table in the bar of the hotel, taking from his pocket a folded paper completely full of notes full and scratches of the letter he still couldn't understand a thing that he received. Totally focused, he looked at it after opening it on the table, trying to read and re-read in any possible ways.
“Excuse me, can i help you?” the waitress asked, breaking him out of what was almost a trance. “Eh ssorry for that, uh... just water I'm fine” he said sighting and sitting back more relaxed at the chair as she went away.
Looking around Irvin saw a group of outsiders, sometimes he felt like he had been in the wrong world his whole life, but travelling like that required money that he didn’t have even from time to time been tempted to just trow away everything and just go through one of them.
The waitress returned putting the glass next to him and noticing the paper “Here it is, but so whats that some kind of puzzle?” “thanks and yeah you could say that, but it just doesn’t have a way to be solved.” the waitress took a better look at it a little confused “that’s a new one?” “what you mean?” “oh you know, there’s this new 2 page magazine which is completely printed coded, if a person wants to read it needs to solve its puzzles. It usually talks about a lot of secrets without censor like bad use of money, conspiracy theories and other things, but i don’t remember a puzzle like that in any print i saw” “it isn’t from them, sorry” he noticed the girl sudden excitement fade away as he said that “Gilia we have other tables!” “sorry i have to go, but a good thing about puzzles is that whenever you’re trying your less to solve it, easily and sooner you’ll be to do so”.
He wondered if that was the same group they we’re sent to find, for him it really didn’t seemed like a problem that needed some kind of intervention unless they had some kind of information that shouldn't leak no matter what, but what they could leak that the garden worried and decided to sent them. Maybe it just wasn’t so important otherwise SeeDs would be ordered to do it instead them or they just didn’t have any at time, he was thinking. Tired of dealing with for now he put it back on his inside pocket, it was getting late already and he decided to walk around the town before everything started to close. In fact he wanted to ask the girl more about what she said early, but as she was busy he would have to do it some other time.

As he walked out from the hotel a kid who was sitting on the corner of the street moved toward him “hey mister” He wasn’t old to be called like that, but it couldn’t be helped. The boy approached giving him a small note. Unfolding it he read the message, two out of three. It really surprised him, how did they know so much about them, or if they had just found out everything asking those two. While that the kid started to ran away going into the alley between the buildings. Not wanting to waste time thinking on how everything that happened was probably his fault he started to chase him.

The kid could besides moving easily between all the crates, objects and narrow corners was really fast. Irvin kept going on, always almost losing his track at each new turning. When he was just turning on another corner he almost got hit by by small sharp metal discs that flew at his direction, wasn’t it for the corner of the building.
While taking cover against the wall he crouched picking up one of the discs, they resembled with something but he just didn’t have time to stop and try to remember about it. He knew that as he haven’t heard the shots to have an idea from where they came, the only way was to go and face it whoever it was. Irvin was picking up Stern from its holster when he heard a metal clank sound.
Lets go then he though, walking out of his cover holding Stern ready to shoot but he just didn’t see anyone, instead spotting a manhole lid wide opened some meters ahead of him. Irvin was walking toward it until suddenly hearing a small bump coming from behind a stack of boxes. Fastly ducking he took cover at the opposite side it.

“Whats the meaning, i mean why all this?” Irvin asked trying to gain time and know a little about against what kind person he was fighting, but not receiving any kind of answer.
Looking around he notice part of his reflection in an puddle of water noticing that he had just finished changing something on his weapon. Irvin slowly started to walk away, eyes fixedly looking to the boxes.
“So at least tell me where are those tw-” He was interrupted by a strange hoarse voice“Why? cause its needed and don’t worry too much, pretty soon you’ll join them, i can assure you that.” Those words set an strange angry on him, it was his pride and confidence that made him commit such mistake and even trying he couldn’t help them anymore? How would he accept it just like that. Fastly gathering energy at his left hand and pointing it to his self he chants “well then ‘let the wind whistle’” becoming invisible at the time the enemy started to shot him from behind the boxes, through it.
This time one of the discs hits him on the right side of the abdomen and is immediately pushed against the wall by its powered rotation force, like a heavy and large punch.
He thought how luck he was from it not having hit him a little up, as it probably would have broken some ribs. After kneeling, lent on the wall fastly regaining his breath, Irvin jumps diving forward shooting at the instant he lands spotting the person, but missing and hitting the wall.
The hood the shooter was using didn’t allow him to see its face properly. He turned toward Irvin’s direction, judging from where the bullets had came from, chanting something and then making a hurl of fire from his hand toward Irvin. As fast as he could and still lying on the floor Irvin rolled, not back way toward the wall, but toward him. Even not hitting him completely as it was aimed toward the wall to splash the attack and the rolling had helped against its flames, it still had dealt some minor burns all over his body.
The shooter was ready to run away after casting it when he was held and pulled back by the leg, making him fall down. He was already turning over to shoot back, when Irvin gave shot right at his tight and took that momentum where he was in pain to give another shot, this time at his hand. Not knowing of what more that guy was able, he would not give him any second to use at his favor and with his right side still in pain he walked over the shooter immobilizing him against the floor.

-20 mp

Irvin was firmly holding Stern against his back when the guy started to speak “WAIT, Wait a moment it’s me” His voice wasn’t the same as before, confused as he somehow recognized that voice and thinking how it didn’t make any sense and couldn’t possible be the person he was thinking, he stood up and walked off from the shooter’s back until facing with him who was still on the floor.

As he saw it he gave a weird a laugh, as he didn’t know exactly how to react to that, and then finally sighed crouching in order to talk face to face, as he still couldn't believe that it was his instructor Vern. Both kept seriously looking to each other for some seconds in silence until vern decided to talk. “So... can you help? these really hurt like hell you know” “Help? i’m holding myself so i won’t knock you down before some proper explanations” he replied sitting on the floor right in front of Vern spinning his gun on floor with his hand.”Fine...ugh.. don’t help them and... arh don’t worry I’ll explain” He said while struggling to sit up against the wall.
“Sorry, but all this was fake”
“What did you ? Fake!?“ Irvin stopped the spinning and fastly grabbing his pistol from the floor he shot at the wall right next to Vern’s shoulder “Right now it’s not the time to play, we almost killed each other”

“The mission, the briefing, everything. Some people wanted to know how would you react to something like that, as they would never approve a cold blood killer with any morals to become a SeeD, now if a SeeD would turn into one after that its another thing...”

All that was to prove his self to them, what kind of people would do that to someone he was wondering.
“But as i was the one put in charge of testing you, it’s probably my fault that everything almost ended like that you know hahahaouch”

Remembering everything that had happened while hearing Vern’s speak, Irvin thought about the two rookies.”what about those two they we’re part of it too?”
“No, their only challenge was to try resisting capture and they easily failed. We couldn't let them talk to anyone from the maniacs as they didn’t knew a thing of what we told you guys, and convince them to act with us would be a pain. The only ones really in part with it we’re some former students at the hotel and of course the kid” He started to heal his self, closing the wounds while talking.

“The surprise was your reaction of worry, even acting without thinking if it could be dangerous or not.”
“They got captured, killed in your roleplay, so i failed anyway”
“Even not wanting showing it you do feel responsible and care for the others”
“Or maybe i was just worrying that it would give me serious problems back at the garden”
“You say that but you know what’s true”
He didn’t know those guys and even so he was extremely worried at the point of risking everything in a frontal assault, would it happen a year ago he probably would wait, study everything and plan before acting.
“And that's a virtue? to be stupid?”
“There you go, why can’t you be a little sensible when I'm here hurt and trying the most to make this a great moment that after this you’re officially a SeeD”
“i thought that... how?”
“They’ve put the decision on me and after my report i don’t believe they’ll have anything to complain, so...” Vern stood up and lent on the wall. “congratulations”
Despite everything he would like to have met with the puzzle makers to ask about his own, but if he was a SeeD then now he’d have more time and freedom to go and do as he wishes, at least when not under it’s commands and calls. Irvin stood up putting Stern back on it’s holster. “Thanks““
Let’s head back and no there’s no party for you, you’re a problem and we already made a hell of exceptions for you”
“I guess I’m just a way too god damn good problem then”

End of Line