Chapter 8: The Gate

Ten minutes later, Angela and Samuel hopped out of her car. They were now in a small residential area near the outskirts of the town. The area was quarantined off as the Sanctuary Guard and Stoneburg Defenders' guild personnel surrounded the area. In the center of the quarantine zone was a vertical window of whirling energy. The mana around it was chaotic, causing shimmering lights and distortions around the Gate.

Angela and Samuel rushed over near the Gate where the guild members were waiting. Even though Samuel was no longer a soldier on active duty, he was curious about the situation. He spotted Lewis talking with one of the guild members, so he went with Angela to join them.

It seemed that most of the guild members were there. Unsurprisingly, the only one who wasn't was Rick.

Akaash turned to the two of them and said, "Angela, you're late."

"Sorry Akaash. I drove here with Samuel." she replied.

Akaash nodded. He said to Samuel, "Looks like you're okay. Good."

"Thanks Akaash, what's the situation?"

"You know you're technically a civilian now, Samuel?" Akaash raised his brow before continuing. "Well, it's fine. I can tell you.

"As you can see,"—Akaash pointed at the Gate—"a Gate has appeared. We're measuring the level of the Gate right now but everyone's on edge because the Gate sucked in some civilians."

"What?! Shouldn't we go in there and rescue them?" Angela exclaimed.

"Well, we were waiting for you to arrive and also there's a problem."

"What's the problem?" Samuel asked.

"The problem" —A new voice entered the conversation—"is that we're not equipped to handle a Gate."

"Chief!" Angela and Akaash both called out. Samuel looked up to see a tall and built Russian woman. She had dirty blonde hair cut in a pixie cut and sharp facial features. She wore a sleeveless dress shirt and a pair of striped-grey dress pants. Her muscles were very defined, which combined with her 187cm frame were reminiscent of an Amazonian.

"Samuel, this is Chief Anastasia. She's the guild leader and founder of our Stoneburg Defenders. She's a great person." Angela quickly explained to Samuel.

"I've heard about you, Samuel. You're a hero to Stoneburg." Anastasia smiled at him.

"I'm no hero. Just a soldier doing his duty." Samuel didn't want the label of hero. The only reason he ended up sacrificing his arm was because of that snake, Rick.

Anastasia continued. "I'm the only one in this guild who is a registered expeditionist. Until we finish measuring the level of the Gate, we can't make any rash decisions. If the Gate is E-rank, I could consider leading in our guild and a few squads of soldiers. If the Gate is D-rank or higher, I'm afraid we can only contact NEO and have them send reinforcements."

Just then, one of the guild personnel, approached with new information.

"Chief, the measurements say this Gate is E-rank."

"Good. All guild Awakened, gather here." Anastasia nodded before calling out. The group was soon joined by Grandpa Hu as well as three other faces.

Samuel had seen the other three from time to time and he knew their names, but that was the extent of his interactions with them. He was only familiar with Angela and Grandpa Hu as well as Akaash.

The short Caucasian man was named Ethan. Samuel only knew him as the tech and maintenance guy. He was the one who handled the maintenance of the advanced technology that the guild used for their daily operations as well as all the other technology in the guild headquarters.

There were also two other women. One of them was Preethi, a short Indian woman. The other was a skinny Hispanic woman named Ariana. Samuel wasn't familiar with them at all, only ever hearing their names mentioned occasionally by Angela.

There was nearly never any reason for the guild to assemble all members, which was why this was a rare sight to see.

"Where is Rick?" Anastasia asked the rest of them.

"No idea."

"Probably slacking off somewhere again."

At that moment, a black van pulled over at the quarantine. The driver's door opened and a large Asian man in a black suit stepped out. He made his way to the other side of the car and opened the passenger door. Rick stepped out. He was pimped out in new gear, most noticeably the shiny high-tech assault rifle strapped across his chest. He had an excited look on his face, like a kid who just got a new toy, as he stroked the rifle in his hands.

"You're late, Rick." Anastasia had a look of disapproval on her face.

"My bad. I was getting equipped. When I heard there was a Gate, I thought it was a good chance to test out my new gun." Rick didn't seem sorry at all. The man in the black suit stood a step behind Rick, clearly subservient. "Oh, this is Uncle Bo. He's my new bodyguard."

The man in the black suit nodded without saying anything.

Anastasia shook her head. Unfortunately, she couldn't really do much about Rick's behavior even as guild leader.

"Okay, now that everyone is here. First, all guild members are joining the expedition. We need as much Awakened power as we can get, so you're joining too, Ethan." She looked at Ethan who nodded with a nervous expression.

"Yes, Chief! I've been practicing my shooting skills, so I can help."

"Good. Mr. Bo, will you be joining this expedition? If so, I'd like to ask what level you are." Anastasia turned to Rick's bodyguard.

"Third level." He said some surprising words before going silent again.

'Third level!' Looks of shock passed over the guild members. Anastasia nodded, as if expecting the answer.

Samuel, on the other hand, was shocked for a different reason. He realized that Rick was more cautious than expected. Even though Rick was Awakened, he was worried that Samuel would attempt to take revenge. As an assurance, he got a third level bodyguard to prevent any mishaps from occurring.

In fact, Samuel was completely flabbergasted at the level of caution that Rick showed. Hiring a third level bodyguard against the revenge of a Manaless? Unthinkable for most people. It was clear that Rick's background was more important than expected.

'Hmm. It's gonna be much harder to get to Rick now.' Samuel discarded his original plan. Back to square one.

"Good, the expedition will consist of all the Stoneburg Defenders guild members in addition to Mr. Bo. Any questions?" Anastasia looked around at everyone.

"May I join?" Samuel spoke up at this time. Other than Angela, everyone looked at him with surprise. Rick had a mocking expression on his face.

"What are you gonna do? Sacrifice your other arm?" Rick laughed. He was never this bold before. It seemed that the bodyguard gave him a lot of confidence.

"Samuel, I'm afraid I can't let you on this expedition. Not only are you Manaless, but you're also missing an arm. You can't even shoot a rifle properly." Anastasia immediately rejected his request.

"Chief, may I talk to you in private?" Samuel had to join the expedition. He knew he could protect himself and there might be an opportunity to get back at Rick. Outside of the Gate, there was no way Samuel would be able to get past the bodyguard but in a Gate there was a chance. Nobody knew what would happen in a Gate, even an E-rank one. Danger lurked in every corner and people went missing all the time.

Anastasia was about to reject the request but Angela spoke up for Samuel.

"Chief, please just give him a minute of your time."

Anastasia hesitated before nodding.

'Thanks, Angela.' Samuel thanked her in his mind.

The two of them went to the side, away from the rest of the guild members.

"What's the issue, Samuel?" Anastasia asked him.

Samuel felt that Anastasia could be trustworthy. He could tell that she was coolheaded and a good leader. Also, he clearly saw the disapproval she held towards Rick, which he might be able to take advantage of.

"Somehow, I Awakened when I almost died then." He said to Anastasia before continuing. "I'm keeping it a secret for now, because Rick was the one who nearly forced me to my death."

When she heard that, she frowned.

"You've Awakened? A newly Awakened is just the same as a Manaless. And do you have proof that Rick tried to kill you?"

"Chief, I don't have proof but when I was running from the ogre, Rick turned around and used his Snake Eyes on me."

Anastasia rubbed her chin, pondering something.

Samuel continued to speak. "Also, I was able to spar with Angela with my ability. I believe that I can contribute something to the team if needed. But I hope you can keep my Awakening a secret." Although it was somewhat of a lie, Samuel did believe that he would be able to spar with Angela properly using his ability's armor.

"Okay. I can help you by taking you in with us. But that's the extent of my assistance. If you want to do something to Rick, I won't stop you but I will warn you. Rick is related to the Quan Group. That bodyguard of his is someone that I won't be able to protect you from." Truthfully, Anastasia was on board with getting rid of Rick. He'd been a nuisance ever since he'd arrived. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do against Rick's background. But if Rick died in a Gate, there would be a way out. Especially if he died under the watch of his bodyguard.

"Quan Group!" Samuel knew about the Quan Group. They were a weapons research and manufacturing corporation that was dominant in the east coast. The president of the Quan Group was known to be a sixth-level Awakened.