Inside of the Academy's library, away from prying eyes and eager observers, Loraine and the Cardison twins stood.
The air was silent, as if holding it's breath to witness the confrontation.
Loraine was annoyed to see the Cardison twins in front of her, her face twisting with a distasteful scowl. She remained quiet, her eyes observing as she waited for them to speak first, as she didn't have the energy to fight right now.
"Well, well, well, you look awful, has yesterday been tough on you?" The first twin spoke, a boy with blonde hair, a proud smirk on his face as he took a step closer to her.
Carl Cardison, a proud and arrogant son of a rich Tycoon.
Loraine didn't have a good history with these two, as shortly after her Awakening, she had been getting bullied by them, mocked, and ridiculed. They had a rich family background, and a powerful one at that, as they too were blessed with High Ranking Talents, both C-Grade.
"What the hell do you want?" Loraine replied, her tone annoyed and slightly pissed off.
"Hey! That's no way to talk to your superiors!" The second twin spoke, Lisa Cardison, angry as if she were insulted by Loraine's simple response.
"If there's nothing important to deal with here, then I'll be on my way." Loraine spoke, turning to leave, but was stopped by Carl after hearing him speak.
"Your mother's dying isn't she," Carl spoke casually, a mocking smirk playing on his lips as he watched Loraine stop and turn around to look at him, unfiltered rage in her eyes as she glared at him fiercely, her fists clenching.
"It's no secrets that a lot of rumors are spreading about you, you skipping class, working shitty jobs, and taking on requests from Guilds that barely pay you enough. It's no wonder your grades dropped, and you've been demoted from Class 1-S."
"....." Loraine remained silent, even though every part wanted to scream and deliver a smoking hot punch to his face. She reminded herself to stay calm and composed, as she wasn't strong enough to win in a fight against him, let alone the both of them.
He smirked upon seeing her reaction, he knew that she was fuming, that she wanted to fight right now, but he knows she can't do anything, not with how weak she was.
That was the feeling he loved relishing in the most, having complete power over your enemies.
"But that's not why we're here today, we've come to offer you a chance to work with us." Carl said, a scheming smile on his face.
Loraine's eyes narrowed in suspicion, a chance to work with them? Was she hearing this right? She couldn't bring herself to trust them, as she knew just how dangerous these two were.
But at the same time, she was inclined to find out what this offer was, and if it could benefit her in some way, so it wouldn't hurt to hear them out.
"Speak." Loraine commanded, crossing her arms. "What's this offer you're talking about? I don't have much time so get it over with."
Lisa spoke up, pulling out a simple contract and handing it to Loraine. "We're going to form a small strike squad to tackle the 20th floor of Ospherius this late afternoon, and we want a porter to help carry our equipment and supplies."
Loraine grabbed the contract, going over it as she read the details. There was nothing shady in the contract she could find, but her instincts still warned her that there was something fishy going on, and that she shouldn't let her guard down yet.
'Their paying 25,000$ for simply carrying their equipment and supplies? Isn't this a bit too much?' She questioned inwardly, but her mind quickly wandered to her mother that was stuck in the hospital bed, the Crystal Mana disease eating away at her life force slowly but surely.
'If I can get this amount, I can easily pay off the debt as well as all the expenses, and even get to keep a bit of the money for myself.' Loraine was conflicted, she wanted to accept the strange agreement instantly, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if she can trust them, not yet.
'They want to form a 3 man party? Isn't that reckless? The 20th Floor isn't something to be dealt with so easily, and the fact that they're planning to do it without a Tank or a Healer is even more suspicious.' Loraine thought, her mind scanning the facts of the situation.
"And you want me to fill in that position?" Loraine asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes." Lisa responded simply and casually, as if it were a normal thing to say.
"...why me? There are simply other porters to hire, and isn't this a bit too much?" Loraine asked.
Carl smiled, "Because, you need the money don't you? Plus, we're going to be making alot of money from the 20th floor, so it's better hiring one porter with a good Strength Enhancing Talent, then splitting the equipment among a bunch of porters."
Loraine took a second to gather her thoughts, it was obvious that they knew a lot of her personal life, and that definetly made this agreement suspicous. However, it was an opportunity to save her mother now that everything depended on it.
If she were to accept this opportunity, not only would Amy not have to get herself involved, but Loraine would be able to save her mom, finally get some proper rest and not worry about stressing herself to death.
Her gaze returns to Carl and Lisa, a flicker of doubt reflecting in their depths, but also filled with desperation, as she had no where else to turn to other than this.
"Alright, I accept. So, when do we begin?"
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The wind blew a fresh breeze over the horizon, the sun's golden rays simmering soflty as it prepared to set, reflecting off the surface of the Tower Of Ospherius.
Loraine stood at the entrance of the Tower, wearing her combat training uniform as she couldn't afford proper armor. Before she had come to the Tower, Loraine had taken the opportunity to properly rest.
She then informed the hospital to postpone the payment a lot later today, as she had promised to pay them the full amount after the raid she was about to partake in.
Now all that needed to be done was have a succesful raid, and then she can start getting her life back together.
"Just push through today, one last raid, and then I can finally get back on my feet." Loraine muttered to herself, a rush of determination filling her veins.
"There you are!" Carl's voice sounded, approaching Loraine as they appeared, carrying an incredibly large bag with supplies and other essentials.
"Here take this, we'll be entering the Tower any second now."