Chapter 5: Pressure Trials

Jochen sighs walking towards the entrance of the testing hall before noticing a familiar figure. His eyes lock with Veit's as he moves into view. He growls seeing that vile person almost by instinct from how awful seeing him is.

"Oooh, excited to see me?" Veit grins with some twist glee. He leans towards Jochen and invades his personal space. "Your fox side is showing, it's cute." Every word feels slimy as he speaks them.

"Ugh, your breath smells rotten too." Jochen shoves Veit with one hand and pushes on a shoulder His face just twists in disgust towards the grossest man he's had the most displeasure of sharing a room with. "If you really want me to beat you senseless then you're on the right damn track!"

"Hah! I'd love to have that little dance now but fighting before a test would get us kicked out." Veit lets out a dramatic sigh and starts walking forward. It looks like he could fall over from a strong wind. "Ah, this test will be one more step for my ascension." He says without caring who hears.

'Ascension? What the hell is that guy on...' Jochen's eyes widens hearing what Veit said at the end. That sent a chill down his spine but started walking forward with an even more determined face. His fox ears on full alert.

The group of test takers enters a massive hallway with several metal doors lining the back half. Ling bounces slightly in excitement and Even stands stiff as a board of wood. She looks over to him before motioning towards their last group. He nods at her request, holding up a gloved hand to snap his fingers.

A holographic cube appears in front of them then starts rapidly turning into a wall. Rollo looks determined at it, he gets ready to run through this strange effect while a few others seem confused. Misao turns towards Rollo but before she could speak.

"Ahem! This is to mimic pressure from higher level Distortions, we expect you to work when one is around whether to save civilians or work as support for stronger Keepers." He says to the crowd while holding his hands out. His neutral face doesn't really change. "The goal of this test is to weed out those whose bodies aren't ready for this much force."

"Don't worry though, you can always try again next year! We have an excellent medical team on standby for any problems." Ling speaks up after Even's serious announcement. Her cheery vibes only slightly help the room for a few of the test takers. "Now, one three! One... Two... Three!!"

Rollo runs into the field to Misao's concern. The moment his body fell under this unbearable pressure, those burns stings like a million needles stabbing into him. A pained look crosses his face as the run turns into a mildly fast walk. It's taking so much to even move through it, his breathing becomes heavier before reaching the other side.

"I did it first-" Rollo flops to the floor as his body feels like a liquid internally. He groans in discomfort on the floor. "Why is everything spinning..."

"Ah, You're Jack's kid! Did he give you bad advice or something?" Ling walks up to the collapsed Rollo with a smug grin. She crouches down and picks him up. "You succeed but we're lowering your score for a stupid move."

"Yaaaay..." Rollo weakly cheers before being placed on a nearby bench for this specific reason every time they do this. "I'm going to fight him when I get home..."

"Remember this everyone, this is about testing your adaptability in the climate created by distortions." Even says without looking at Rollo and Ling. He speaks slightly more robotic than before clearing his throat. "Anybody else who pulls this stunt will be instantly disqualified!"

Misao gulps seeing the barrier in front of her. There's a hundred thoughts going through her head at this moment. A shaky foot steps forward and she tries to look calm walking through it. She wants to vomit right at that moment but before it does... "Oh..." The young lady had already reached it.

Other recruits slowly make their way into the field. One by one, many of them fall to their knees either throwing up or feinting. Ling can't help but laugh, It's a cruel chuckle. "Oooh, Sorry, It's another part of the test, if you can't keep down food around this pressure then... None of you are ready for the real deal." A chilling aura emits from her for a brief moment.

"R-Rollo! I did it! I made it through the field!" Misao rushed to Rollo's side while he was still out of it. She's a bit shaky after that ordeal and feels slightly heavy but conflicts with that new energy. "Oh- Uh, Are you okay??"

"Yeaaaaah, Just feels like I've tackled a waterfall..." Rollo grins looking weaker, his whole body deflates even more on the bench. It's awful but a pit is felt in his gut about this. "Man, I should've done it like you." He smacks the sides of his face to wake himself up.

Jochen adjusts his leather jacket while giving Veit more death glares. 'That goddamn corpse, he's just playing around with everyone...' He grumbles inside his mind about that rotten smelling man. Veit looks back while walking through the field like it's natural. The fox man maintains distance to him but seems unaffected by the pressure.

"Oh foxy, your emotions are so fun to watch unfold." Veit says not even looking at Jochen while walking through the field like it's nothing. He stops in the middle before looking at the ceiling then towards Even. "Mr Samaras, don't you have a stronger challenge or is this just going easy on them?"

"Your name is Veit correct? I'd rather not kill newbies on a simple test, we need bodies on the battlefield, not in one of our bases." Even speaks emotionlessly adjusting his suits collar. His eyes clearly scan Veit for a few minutes. Ling taps his side for a moment. "Yes, Ling?"

"Three guys like that in one round seems weird, better watch out in case this spells misfortune." Ling whispers into the taller man's ear. She stares at the third person who she spoke about, that red haired boy. There wasn't even any struggle from him. "Just deadpan face that whole time, unsettling in my opinion..."

"We've had a very strange batch of recruits today... The absurdity of this world baits them very easily." Even blankly glares at the group. He taps his chin after a moment while taking a mental note. "We will report this in our notes, especially on Veit, his background check brought up nothing like this..."

"I will go to the admin room to get their test results and send them here." Ling shakes her head in disbelief of that in what a strange group they've got. She steps away without a sound and makes her way to the end of the hallway before passing by two of those masked figures. "Polly, Bobby, make sure to watch Veit closely."

They nod in unison as she goes through the door. The pair of dolls slowly walks to Even's side and both mimic motions? Mostly about popping one's necks like they copy them to appear tough.

"Now, that everyone has undergone this test, it's time for the full test of phase 2" Even snaps his fingers and each of the doors along this hall. The test shall truly start now.