"Damn, we're late."
Half an hour later, Rowan and Lenny slowed their pace as the Bureau came into view. The streets were bustling with activity, vendors clamouring for attention with various trinkets and foods laid out on their stalls.
And true to Lenny's exasperated comment, the gate into the bureau was packed with family and applicants, craning their necks as they attempted to see the results board, or push through once they saw their name.
"They won't let me in past the gates, not after the aptitude test."
Lenny sighed, and Rowan could see him fighting to keep his expression stern, but the lump in his throat was evident.
"Thanks for all your help, Lenny. I'll meet you after."
Avoiding the surrounding crowd, Rowan turned away and began weaving past and around people, steadily moving towards the Bureau. Eventually, he reached the bottlenecked gate. But not before getting shoved a few times, and giving some of his own.
Trying to squeeze past was impossible. Parents clung to their children, knowing it could be the last time any of them saw each other. Forcing himself around the families, he eventually broke through and got his first clear glimpse at the results. 150 out of 200 points were required to pass, alongside a successful aptitude test. Finding the writing score first, Rowan mumbled the number as dread swelled inside him.
"65... Fuck."
That score required a combat test of 85. The floor beneath him fell away. He had hoped for an even split, of 75 for each, and with the hope gone so early, he accepted it wasn't meant to be. It was at that point that a voice called out towards him, and a group appeared at his side.
"Rowan! You made it too! We were worried after seeing your written score, but your combat pulled through! Almost the complete opposite of Nadia's!"
Avery's voice was still as excitable as the shorter boy bounced with unconcealed energy. As his sentence finished, Nadia blushed as Rowan scanned the charts, finding his name in the combat section finally.
"A... 90. I actually got a 90??"
Jaw wide open, Rowan could hardly believe it. He'd expected to be the weak link of the crew, but only Lenny's score was higher, with a 95.
"They had to scale the grades this year; they admitted that a tier 2 was much too difficult for the unawakened, and sent out an apology for the injuries and trauma caused."
Aoife supplied, as joyful as the other two. Evidently, they had also passed, which left a sour taste in his mouth as he imagined Lenny watching from afar. Now knowing he had passed, Rowan decided to resume his rush to claim a Hell.
"I'm going inside to try and get first dibs. Have you guys already been?"
Rowan turned towards the entrance, trying to hide his impatience.
"No, we were hoping to do one as a group. We worked together all right in the combat test, so we found no reason to separate."
The other two nodded as Rowan paused, evaluating. Lenny had told him of this possibility, but he had assumed they wouldn't be willing to work with him. Admittedly, his high combat score was likely the reason.
"We can go and see what Hells there are. Then we can discuss partnering up."
The others agreed, and the group moved towards the entrance of the Awakened Management Bureau. The interior was quieter than when they were here the day before, but noises from down the hall revealed where everyone had disappeared to.
Walking past the combat test room, they arrived on a large field with stands set up around it. Dozens of cages were assorted across the grass, with various-sized Hells inhabiting them. Countless kids their age wandered around the field, reading the plaques in front of the cages.
Past that, there was a stage where the leaders of the Bureau, as well as the city, were setting up, preparing for the coming event. Among them was Colm Lane, as well as Freida Burke, the Governor of Cork. They were obviously talking about something, and from the way they were turned towards his group, they were likely the subject of the conversation.
After casting a glance at Aoife, he began moving towards the larger Hells, the ones that could accommodate more people. Lenny had advised the smallest, darkest Hell Rowan could find, but with a group the size was irrelevant.
"What kind are we even looking for? What is a good one?"
Nadia's question was fair. The information given on Hells was extremely limited, with the plaques only reading the basic information about the Hells. Looking at the one in front of them now, Rowan thought that it would be perfect were it not for the size requirement.
' Maturity -- 86%
Age -- 3 weeks
Size -- 5 people'
Simply put, the maturity was its strength, the age was irrelevant, and the size was obvious. At least that had been how Lenny put it when describing it to Rowan. The age represented how far it might be from where it had appeared, which affected a few things. The inside of Hell is the area around where it first appeared, and when one cleared a Hell, they would exit where it first appeared.
For lower ages, this didn't change much, but the older it got, the riskier it was to be lost far from the city, with a rare chance of making it back safely. Luckily, there were no Hells over a month old, which meant they would at least be still in Ireland when they returned. Hopefully.
"How about this one? It's the right size, and the age isn't too bad."
Avery stood a couple of rows down, reading the plaque in front of him thoughtfully. Though when Aoife and Rowan saw it, they immediately shook their heads.
"A 98% maturity is insane. That's way too risky for our first Hell."
Rowan agreed with Aoife's statement; the reason they were here early was to get a Hell with as low maturity as possible. The danger increased exponentially with maturity, increasing both the number of monsters and their strength within.
"75% maturity is good then, right?"
Both Rowan and Aoife's heads whipped to where Nadia stood, calmly pointing at their holy grail. Aoife energetically nodded her head while holding Nadia's hands, thanking her for finding such an ideal Hell. And as Rowan looked at the Hell, he could only agree that it truly looked Ideal.
' Maturity -- 75%
Age -- 1 week
Size -- 4 people'
Settling down in front of it, the group claimed the Hell as their own, ensuring they had the right to enter it once the ceremony was over. After claiming it, they took turns going to fetch equipment, not leaving the Hell unsupervised for a moment while they geared up. Eventually, an assortment lay before the group, ready for their departure.
Rowan inwardly thanked Lenny once more, as he saw the later arrivals panicking as they realised only high maturity Hells were left. Grimacing, he turned away from them when he could. They didn't have to enter the Hells, and could simply wait for next month, but they wouldn't. A Hell never went unclaimed in the induction, even when the applicants knew it would be next to impossible.
As the last few applicants trickled in, the stands began to fill, family members calling out to those on the field, offering support and last-minute words of advice. Soon, it would begin.
><><><><><><><><
"I welcome you all to the 2047's May induction."
Freida Burke's voice rang over the field, met with dead silence as everyone solemnly awaited the procedures.
"It is my pleasure to announce that this induction features 46 Hells, with a grand total size of 131, five more than the number of applicants present. Speaking of, may we give our first round of applause to the brave applicants, seeking to become the awakened?"
A wave of applause cascaded over the field, as those in the stands and field alike clapped their hands.
"In just 10 minutes, when the clock strikes 12, the participants will be free to enter their respective Hells. May the strong prevail, and may the weak survive. Thank you."
With her famous parting words, Freida stepped down from the podium, and Colm Lane took her place.
"As we gather once more, I remind you to give thanks for these souls who risk their lives before you. 20% of these children will not return. Despite our best efforts at screening, this has been the case for the past five years, and there is little we can do in an era where power is a necessity.
"So, I repeat myself. Give thanks to these brave souls, and pray for their safe return."
Despite the solemn warning, the crowd reacted with cheers. Undoubtedly, because most of that 20% were orphans, with no one to fear their passing should they fail. Swallowing over his dry tongue, Rowan watched as the gate to their Hell was opened, ready for them to venture into it.
Aoife didn't waste a second, gathering the equipment they had chosen before marching forward into the void. Avery, Nadia and Rowan were quick to follow, eyes wide as they stepped into the abyss.