"Hey everyone grab your stuff were going to go see General Kahn he has something to tell us after my mission debrief with him yesterday." Gray said walking into room T7-41. Gray actually couldn't believe what he was seeing but it looked like Luke and Mahō were getting along nicely and having some coffee together discussing some training ideas. "Oh hey Gray I was wondering can me and Mahō use the training room this evening after our meeting with the general?" Luke said in a giddy tone. "I suppose but for now lets get ready I don't wanna keep the General waiting on us, I'm sure were going to get in trouble for screwing up the mission the other day." Gray responded still kind of shocked they were getting along. After they cleaned up the living space real quick they all put their uniforms on and headed down to General Kahn's office.
"So do you guys think you did a good job on that mission a few days ago, do you think that was a completed mission or an utter failure in your words Gray because I really want to know what you think." General Kahn said in his normal stern and grumpy tone.
"Sir I know that we didn't get out of there unscathed but I think we completed the mission we were going to try and find any evidence of human experiments and we did just that, Unfortunately we were caught so they moved the labs but we did find proof that there still being done here sir." Gray said with an amount of confidence he wasn't sure he should have on the situation, but he wasn't wrong.
"So you think it was acceptable, huh, well.." the general was interrupted before he could finish his sentence "Sir I know it wasn't a perfect run, but I at least believe that we don't deserve a punishment for it." Gray said after interrupting "BOY! YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO INTERRUPT ME WHILE I'M TALKING AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY!" General Kahn yelled is the most pissed off tone Gray had ever heard. "Sir I'm Sorry sir." Gray said with his head down. "I was just about to tell you your team has been promoted for doing well on that mission, you new room is T6-301 move all of your things there before tomorrow morning and there are 5 rooms in this one so nobody has to share, but if you decide to interrupt me again Gray I think you will be sleeping with the new recruits who don't have rooms yet." General Kahn said in a much better tone. "Sir I'm sorry for the disrespect and thank you for the promotion, do we have any pending mission now that we ranked up?" Gray said with a tear almost in his eye. "You do have a mission, and one I think Mahō will enjoy the most, check your assignments tablet in your new room and you'll see the details." General Kahn said before waving them out of the room.
Soon after the team had gotten a ways away from the General's office Gray turned around, "Holy shit guys we ranked up!" Mahō replied with "Well all thanks to me obviously, my first real mission with you guys we got it." Luke rolled his eyes before responding, "Not for the reasons you think but I do believe Mahō joining helped us move up, He's clearly a grade 4 or 5 and will be able to take on harder missions." Sophi scoffed before saying "Whatever we probably were just up for a promotion and it was a coincidence that he joined our team." Bella agreed with Sophi as they continued to the old room in order to pack up.
Walking into the new room is was a fair size, there was 3 couches in the living area when you first walked in and 3 doors on either side of the room when you walked in, on the back wall was the kitchen and in-between the kitchen and living area was the dining area. Sophi was the first to claim a room and she choose the back room on the right wall, and Bella took the close room on the right wall with the middle door being the bathroom. Going into the bathroom it was nice that there was two showers so people could shower at the same time. The boys took the left side of the room with Mahō in the back, Gray in the middle, and Luke in the front. Mahō walked into his room and it was nothing special just a dresser with 6 drawers and a bed with a nightstand, and in Mahō's case that's all it would probably ever have, he didn't have any keepsakes to put up and he honestly didn't want any. "Since gramps passed I don't think anywhere will ever feel like home again." Mahō said to himself quietly in his room before Gray walked in, "Man it sure is nice we don't have to share rooms anymore I was tired of you sleeping on the floor and complaining all the time when we went to train." smirking Mahō responded, "Well at least not I don't have to deal with you snoring all night long." Mahō and Gray laughed for awhile before heading into the living room and sitting down to talk before bed.
In sophi's room she was talking with bella, "So are you every going to get with my brother we all know you like him you just need to ask, then we'd only need 4 rooms instead of 5." she said with a smirk, "No sohpi don't be like that, Luke doesn't even like me that way he's just nice to everyone and I'm way to scared to ask him anything most of the time."
The next day
"Mahō you have got to stop using to much ice magic against me dude I don't know any of the spell and you refuse to chant anything." Luke complains as he's dodging the 4th barrage of ice drills. "You know you need to learn what element I'm using before I use it, you should be able to tell by sensing the ambient mana gathering in my hand." Mahō retorted before using a short distance blink behind luke and holding his longsword to the back of his neck. Luke holds his hands up in the air, "Alright, alright I forfeit I forfeit no stabby stabby there Mahō." Mahō and lukes match ended and they discussed where Luke had went wrong and how to improve for the next fight but then luke asked Mahō for help with something he was seriously struggling with, Silent casting.
"I mean I can teach you to silent cast it's not that hard to be honest, you already know your a light mage all you need to do for grade 4 is learn silent casting huh." Mahō replied. "Yes after I can semi efficiently silent cast I'll be promoted to grade 4 and lieutenant." Luke responded with some nervousness hoping he'd be able to understand Mahō's teachings. "Well think of you light magic, I wont be to much help because with light magic I can only silent cast an orb that produces light but I'll explain the concept. Close your eyes, Picture the light not just what it is but how it is, all the colors light can be and the beauty it produces, the heat light naturally gives off and the waves that flow through it, think of every time you cast a spell the mana you feel gather in your hand the pull that your focus has on your environment, and grab all of those feelings and pull them into your hand, make the light form the waves flow the heat radiate and the world become visible." Mahō opened his eyes and saw a ball of light is Luke's hand and smiles, "Hey buddy, I think you're gonna figure this out just fine." Luke opened his eyes and the smile on his face was the biggest Mahō had ever seen. "I actually did it." Luke said while the breath he had been holding finally got let go. "Now just practice with your most complicated spells, same concept you just have to feel it, not a bad idea to use the spell then meditate on it before trying to replicate it with a silent cast, I believe in you Luke, you're a talented guy." Mahō said while he was walking away to go see how Gray was doing with his training.
"Mahō how is it that you can use dagger better than me but you chose to stay away from them, I just don't get it man." Gray said while shaking his head and sitting on ground after a light sparing match. "I mean sword are just objectively better for me, I specialize in ranged and close quarters and the sword and help with both, daggers have a real issue with ranged spells and tend to make them less effective as you know, So I just prefer to stick with a longsword or a katana, but daggers do have their place especially since I'm a dark mage primarily and stealth is a big deal." Mahō responded after sitting down next to Gray and handing him a water bottle. Gray just shook is head before getting up to spar again.
Sophi and Bella were in a private training room trying to progress enough to be classified as grade 3 so they weren't left behind by the boys. They both understood their innate magic styles enough but at not bothered to learn any support or enchantment spells at all, and they needed to start shortening their chants for less casting time. They believed that it wouldn't be to hard but boy were they wrong, it took almost a week of just training and meditating on what they had learned to grasp some of the non-elemental spells and boy was shortening some chants a bi- well you get the point.
"Holy shit Soph I got it, I was able to shorten a few spells and I got basic healing and enhanced eyesight down, I think I can promote to Grade 3." Bella said smiling to Sophi after going through her list of things she had accomplished over the last week. "Me too, I was able to get basic healing enhanced eyesight and enhanced hearing down, I also shortened all of my most used spells so I think I'm ready for the rank up exam." Sophia was proud that they both had done it and they went to talk to Gray. "Hey Gray can you sign us up for the rank up exam so we can get classified as grade 3, we finally got everything done that we needed to." Gray looked back with a grin, "Well it's about time luke just passed his grade 4 test yesterday and got promoted to sergeant, I was wondering if we were going to have to find new team members because you couldn't advance." Surprised that Luke had promoted the girls looked at eachother in defeat. "Well I was hoping we would catch up to Luke but at least we still made good progress." Bella exclaimed. "I'll get you girls signed up don't worry, and don't let Lukes rank up get to you, I'm sure you guys can catch up before he becomes a grade 5 just work hard and know we're all here to help you, even Mahō you guys should really talk to him more, he's the one who got luke to grade 4." The girls looked stunned and slightly disgusted by the mention of being friends with Mahō. "We don't like him Gray it's so obvious that he's suspicious, you guys are to trusting." Sophi said to Gray in a concerned tone. "Sophi, This probably isn't good news for you then but day after tomorrow I'm sending you and Mahō out on a scouting mission alone, Bella, Luke, and I have some things to catch up on here so just the two of you will go, be nice to him, maybe if you tried you'd actually like him." Gray said the last part raising his eyebrows up and down before sophi walked away in defeat.
The Next Day
"Alright everyone I want to get everyone caught up on news, Bell and Sophi are now grade 3's and promoted to Private First Class, Luke has been made grade 4 and promoted to sergeant, congratulations I'm proud of everyone, and I'm sure it's my turn next to reach grade 5." Gray announced and everyone cheered Bella and sophi hugged as it was them just now being told they passed. "And the next thing to address is upcoming missions, Soph and Mahō you both leave tomorrow morning to Flagsmaine there is talk of a local count trying to rise up in the area and you are to scout it out, If they are grade 4 or below you can engage at your discretion if they are grade 5 you will withhold and report back so we can get a proper team together to take him down, is that understood." Gray looked to Sophia and then Mahō, "Yes sir" they said almost in unison, "Then on to the last topic, Luke and Bella you'll be coming with me to infiltrate a local government facili-." Mahō spaced out wondering how things would go with Sophi hoping this wasn't the longest week of his life.