The next morning, Urekin received a message from Mavehn asking him to come to the Aula on the ground floor at 1 PM. Since he had plenty of time until then, he decided to explore the building and get a good feel of the place. He decided to start with the first floor, as he was starting to feel his hunger.

As Urekin got close, the elevator doors opened up and he stepped inside. It only took a moment for him to arrive at his destination, and he was quickly out onto a corridor that was wide enough to allow for a large number of people, which is probably why the floor was bustling with activity, as people moved about.

Urekin started heading to where the kitchens, or the Mesh as people fondly referred to it, was located, having identified its location on the CalibroK screen yesterday. While he walked, he got a chance to get a closer look of the Apsylum’s workforce, and in return he received a few curious glances from passersby here and there.

Most people were absorbed in conversations of their own, however, or hurried along on some business, so his interactions were limited to the few looks that measured him. As he neared the Mesh, he could smell the fragrant mix of foods that were being prepared, and although he had eaten his fill yesterday, he felt his stomach growl in response.

Entering the large hall, Urekin could see rows upon rows of tables with seats, and a couple of food dispensers at the right-hand side wall, where people were waiting in line. In one of the lines, the giant form of an ogre clad in lavender extravagant clothing towered well above the others, his eyes looking much clearer than when Urekin had first seen him. He was talking and joking with a dwarf who was kitted out in battlegear.

The two of them were laughing loudly, to the point of being obnoxious, but most people were laughing along with them. Their conversation steered towards dwarven women by the time they stepped out of the line with their packaged food, and they made their way out of the Mesh. Urekin watched as the ogre waved to people calling out to him with all sorts of lighthearted remarks.

It didn’t take much longer for Urekin to get to the food dispenser, and he got a good look at the current menu, which consisted of an assortment of spiced meat, some kind of greenish paste made of vegetables, some salad and a variety of side dishes like potatoes and rice. All in all, there were a fair number of choices, but it was impressive that there even were choices at all, in the middle of a Warren. Urekin chose a little from everything, preferring to taste all there was on offer instead of picking just one thing that he liked.

He made his way to an empty table and ate his meal while watching the people of the Apsylum come and go. The Apsylumers were a fairly diverse group, and he tried guessing what each of their jobs entailed, based on their clothing and outer appearance. The guards were easy to identify based on their uniforms and the way they carried themselves, and the construction workers weren’t more of a challenge, but there were some he could not so easily guess.

These were the ones who seemed to be perfectly ordinary, and could fit into any city crowd. Urekin supposed there were some off-duty guards and construction workers hidden among them as well, but the majority must have been brought here for something else, the only problem being that there wasn’t really anything else to do here at the moment from what he could see, aside from maybe preparing meals he admitted, as he chewed on the last strip of meat on his tray.

After finishing his meal, he dumped the tray in the bin next to one of the dispensers, and made his way out of the Mesh. He still had some time left until the appointed meeting, but he didn’t feel like doing much of anything else, and now that the time was approaching, he noticed that he was becoming more and more anxious. With a churning stomach, he made his way down to the ground floor, where the same view greeted him as when he had first arrived.

The Aula was large, taking up almost the entirety of the ground floor, and it was bustling with activity, as floor tiles were being set and paint was being applied to the walls and ceiling. There were a group of people installing lights in unpainted sections of the ceiling, as well as between laid down floor tiling. In the middle, a large platform was being built, which Urekin guessed would serve as the stage for whoever was performing.

As he was watching the work that was ongoing, he noticed that the dwarf he saw in the Mesh was there as well, lounging around by the bar. He was kicking his feet about as he observed the scene around him, while also nibbling on strips of meat and savoring the delights the bar had to offer. Soon, the dwarf noticed Urekin watching him and waved in a friendly manner, for Urekin to join him.

Urekin made his way over and sat down on the chair next to the dwarf, who clapped him happily on the shoulder.

“You’re the new hire Vehn got us aren’t you!” he said.

“Well yes, but I’m still not sure what Lady Mavehn’s plans are for me just quite yet,” said Urekin, as the dwarf was shaking his head.

“You’re new, so here’s some advice for you. Don’t call her that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, call her Vehn or a donkey or whatever, just don’t call her what you just did.”

“Why? She never told me to call her any other way.”

“Oh, she won’t tell you to, but she’ll like you more if you do. Trust me on this,” said the dwarf, then as an afterthought he added, “And I will like you more if you call me Sergh.”

“Then you can call me Urekin in exchange. Does she not like her name then?”

“I suppose you could say that. Not really my place to say why though, so if you want to know, ask her. She’s coming over here anyway,” said Sergh and nodded towards the approaching elf.

“How about we just focus on the here and now,” said Vehn as she walked behind the counter.

“Sure thing Vivi, what’s to be had here and now?”

“Lanri will be joining us soon with a few people, so I need you to take us to the Ring once they get here.”

“That will be a squeeze. What about the now?”

“Sergh, it’s too early for your jokes.”

“It’s never too anything for my jokes, my dearest Vivi.”

“Are we going there to assess my abilities?” Urekin asked.

“In part. But I’ll let Lanri fill you in on the details,” said Vehn.

They waited a couple of minutes until Lanri’s group arrived, which Sergh used to finish his meal and burp in satisfaction. Urekin busied himself by watching as Vehn meticulously checked a number of different compartments that were built into the counter. She got about halfway when Lanri arrived, followed by Enti and two others who Urekin had not seen before.

Sergh wasted just enough time to greet the newcomers before he closed his eyes and cupped his head in his hands. The others all waited in silence, as they watched Sergh, so Urekin did the same, until a blue shimmer appeared on the wall next to the counter and started to expand slowly, and Urekin finally understood why the dwarf was happily lounging about while everyone else seemed busy with their work. Transistors, especially skilled ones, are always in high demand.

The blue shimmer had widened enough for it to take on the general outline of a door just wide enough for Enti, if he went through it sideways. The inside of the doorway swirled with blurred imagery, but started getting sharper and sharper until a room came into view, with obstacles and other props laying about.

Sergh opened his eyes and motioned towards the doorway, at which point Enti edged himself into the room. Lanri stepped in next, and beckoned for Urekin to enter as well.

Once Urekin stepped through, he could see the room in more detail, and saw that things were looking pretty battered. The walls seemed to have been patched up and reinforced numerous times, and the objects that weren’t completely new showed signs of heavy wear as well.

“Where are we exactly?” Urekin asked.

“We’ve come to a secluded area, not too far from the Apsylum. Come,” said Lanri as she walked to the center of the room. The others followed behind her, except for Vehn, who lingered behind by the back-wall. Sergh also stepped through and seated himself on one of the large crates by the wall, where Vehn had settled down, and pulled out a bag of some sort which smelled of food. The two of them started crunching on its contents immediately.

Urekin followed the group to the center of the room, each step he took churning twisting his stomach as his anticipation was growing about what he would be evaluated on. While he was trying to calm himself down, he realized he had caught up to the others when suddenly Lanri spun around and lunged at him with her left arm. Urekin’s nerves were already on edge, and he attempted to dodge to the side, but Lanri’s arm followed his movement like a whip and her fingers wrapped around his throat.

“Hundred ninety six milliseconds,” said Lanri, and let go of him.

“That’s not shabby,” said the man standing next to Enti, and recorded the score on his CalibroK. “Definitely better than I expected.”

Urekin’s heart was pounding madly, as he adopted a slightly awkward position with his arms attempting to create a barrier between him and Lanri. “Plague, harlow,” he said, “What are you doing?!”

“Measuring your abilities,” said Lanri as she inspected him. “Any implants?”

“Aren’t there equipment made specifically for that? This was completely unnecessary.”

“There are pleasuring equipment as well, but that doesn’t mean they are always the best choice.”

“Well why was this the best choice then, in your expert opinion?”

“This was an unexpected, or mostly unanticipated situation for you. Testing with equipment can be beneficial, but it loses most of the element of surprise. You are prepared for the test, you know you have to react and in what way, just not when. This way, you might have known you had to react, but you had no idea to what, how, nor when,” said Lanri, as she held up three fingers before continuing.

“One, it took you hundred ninety six milliseconds, to respond to the unexpected situation. Two, you responded by attempting to dodge out of the way, instead of contesting me and countering my move, and three, you did all of this by relying only on your physical prowess, as you did not even try Manipulation,” she said as she lowered each finger. “Now, any implants?”

“No,” said Urekin as he shifted his shoulders uncomfortably and begrudgingly answered her question.

“Okay. Enti, bring seven boxes and a pushwall.”

For the next six hours, Lanri made him do a variety of tests to measure his physical abilities, and in the process he had received quite a few bruises. His body especially sorely remembered his attempts at wrestling with Enti, and the memory of the exercise he did with Lanri would forever be locked away in the back of his mind, so that he would never remember it again.

During the whole time, the man with the CalibroK, Grimdal, had meticulously been taking notes, and more than likely had recorded the whole thing for future reference, but Urekin could not begin to guess for what reason Orita, the other person Lanri had brought with her, was there. She had not once spoken a word, nor made any gestures. In fact she didn’t really do much other than watch intently and position herself out of the way.

All in all, it was an exhausting process, and Urekin was more than glad when Sergh and Vehn returned from the Mesh with packaged food for all of them, although he welcomed the break more than the food. Even thinking about it made him feel nauseous, yet Lanri made sure he ate every last bite, even if she herself did not eat any.

On the other hand, there was a power struggle between Enti and Sergh for the others’ leftovers, in which Sergh had come out as the dominant party, and Enti was forced to watch the last pieces being devoured by the victorious dwarf.

After dinner, they moved out the crates which were bunched together as a makeshift table and Urekin dreaded the thought of having to do any more tests. Lanri pushed a large crate out of the clearing with one hand, and faced Urekin, her eyes flaring with golden light.

“That’s enough on the physical end,” said Lanri as she focused her sight on him. “What type of Manipulator are you?”

“I’m a Subjector.”

Lanri looked him over once more, and then gave a slight nod as if confirming something. “Let’s see what you can do then.”

Everyone had been watching closely through the physical examinations, but the air of anticipation condensed in the room heavily. Urekin focused on all of the objects in the room and lifted them high into the air. The heavy crates floated and rotated around the center as Urekin willed them to do while Sergh gave out an appreciative hoot.

Urekin watched Lanri’s expression, but she was as stone-faced as ever, not letting anything show. He decided to show off a little more and focused on the people now, attempting to pick them up as well. Just as he felt the usual resistance to the idea of being moved against their wills, he felt a shock as his control was being interfered with, to the point he could barely focus on the objects that were already floating, making them slowly but steadily drift downward.

Not having felt such a sensation before, Urekin frowned, putting strength behind his will, but the sensation grew with it. It felt as if a pressure was being applied, his power being wrestled. Looking around though, he did not see anything different, the others were all still waiting expectantly to see what would happen next.

Urekin retreated into his inner self as he concentrated on the feeling of haziness that was overcoming his mind, and pushed against the pressure that was being applied. He pushed some more and more, but it would continue to push back just as thoroughly, never letting him get the upper hand.

With a snarl, Urekin pushed with all of his strength, and the pressure was suddenly blown away. At the same time, everything around him was thrown into the air with terrifying force. Orita gave a yelp as she and everything else in the room crashed into the ceiling, the crates cracking and shattering, and sounds of sickening thuds and crunches coming from the bodies.

The whole thing lasted for a heartbeat before Urekin fell to his knees and started retching as the world crashed back down around him. Nearby he heard a deep, rumbling groan. Looking up weakly, he noticed Enti’s large form slowly sitting up. With a grunt, he reset his twisted shoulder and massaged it with a large palm. Next to him lay the man with the CalibroK, the device having been bent in half. He himself did not stir, although his chest moved with his breathing.

Sergh and Vehn seemed to have gotten away unscathed, as Enti seemed to have shielded them in a large bearhug, and took the brunt of the damage. In the middle, Lanri hopped down and landed on her feet with a loud thud, completely unphased by the whole experience, as she brushed off the dust from her right hand. Of Orita, there was no immediate sign.

Sergh immediately rushed over to the unconscious body of the man, whose head seemed to be bleeding profusely, while Vehn went over to help, taking a meaningful glance at Lanri. Enti started thundering his way over to Urekin, his fists clenched beside him. He was almost upon Urekin as he noticed something and bent down, gently scooping up debris with his shovel-like hands, and quickly but carefully uncovering Igrim’s motionless body.

His face twisted into a scowl as he looked up at Urekin, then his eyes flickered to Lanri and he turned his attention back to Igrim, beginning to check for vitals. Urekin followed Enti’s gaze, and noticed that Lanri’s eyes scanning him, her pupils flared in a terrifying golden halo.