Feyre

  I stared at that... thing I could see the secretary holding. I almost couldn't tear my eyes off of it. Made of simple cloth and fabric on the outside I had no delusions that it wasn't there, in her hands, for a very specific reason. It looked a bit like a gaiter or snood however this thing was more torso sized rather than neck sized. I looked down and frowned.

  Were they actually going to give me some sort of magical binder? I could understand, to an extent, as it was likely to stop my chest from being a problem. On the other hand, I had, during my stay at Errol, gotten myself some good undergarments that fit well. They would now be useless, and now I regretted spending so much on them. I wasn't sure why this thing was necessary but I also wasn't going to tell the Lieutenant that I wasn't going to wear it. As strong as I felt, I didn't want to test myself against that just so I could be ogled at.

  Just because I understood the supposed reasoning behind this move, didn't mean I had to like it.

  For her part, the secretary just smiled apologetically and kept it held up slightly. Almost as if the continued exposure to my line of sight would have made me any less annoyed at this.

  Eventually, after what must have been a couple minutes, I sighed.

  "Give it here then..."

  I reached out and took it. There wasn't much else for me to do. Internally I was disgruntled at having to hide my chest without any explanation, so I decided to question it at every opportunity until I got a good reason for it. A quick identify confirmed what I was thinking before.

  [System]

  [Target Status: [Magickal Minimiser Bra].]

  [Extra Information: Enchanted with [Chest Compression[, [Modesty], [Self Repair]. Was a Dungeon Reward for a successful Clear.]

  I roll my eyes and look up at the secretary who's looking right back. Her eyes are almost expectant and I frown.

  "I am not putting it on right now... Especially not with you staring at me like that."

  She shrugged and opened the door, gesturing that I'm free to leave. I stuffed the minimiser into a pouch and gave both the secretary and the Lieutenant, who was waiting outside, a look.

  I stalked down the corridor with a pretty ferocious scowl on my face, acting hadn't told me off for it so I guess it was fitting my character that I had created that I was peeved at this. I basically stormed back to my room in the barracks, a couple dorm-mates jumping out of the way as I walked. I almost apologised to one, but when she recovered from her shock and instantly stared at my boobs I had, had enough. I audibly snarled and opened my door, before slamming it behind me.

  Once inside the relative comfort of my room I groaned and kicked the wall halfheartedly. It didn't take long for me to gingerly lift the minimiser out of my pouch and place it on my bed. My eyes narrowed at it before I simply gave up and decided to try it on.

  Lifting my current plain white tunic over my head, I threw it next to the minimiser before sighing once more. I would have probably stood there topless for a while had I not heard a knock at the door and a voice call out, informing me that there was a form of roll call in about half an hour. I sighed yet again, a thing a lot more frequent when I am near people it seemed, before reaching back. I pulled and unclasped my current bra, letting my breasts free if only temporarily.

  I breathed and huffed out a breath before picking up the minimiser and pulling it over my head, in the opposite motion that I had done with the tunic. Almost instantly, I was overcome with a sense of weird freedom. While it hadn't ever been debilitating, my chest had actually been holding me back in some way. I hadn't noticed it before but looking back on some of my previous encounters, I was slower due to having to hope they would bounce around like the massive water balloons they were. So this Compression enchantment must have also done something about the weight surely, or I guessed maybe not. If it had compressed it to such a way that the weight was closer to my core, then I would just have a more solid core.

  All of this theorising was on the basis I would be able to adapt to the lack of weight on my front and wouldn't just fall over backwards. Which, thankfully my stats should help me with.

  Looking down for proper, I saw that I could now actually see part my stomach. I wasn't what one might call a wash board, but I was now at a much more manageable size. I grimaced, realising that I was genuinely glad to have been given this minimiser, even if I was not happy about the way it was given.

  I opened my storage and 'equipped' my armour and the like, simultaneously storing my tunic and clothes I was wearing when I had been kidnapped to meet the boss. I could have just done that from the start, but I liked the feeling of doing things manually, it made me feel real in this unbelievable world.

  No sooner had I done that, than the gambeson adapted to fit my new chest size. I was expecting at least a marginal amount of discomfort from the minimiser under the form fitting gambeson but it was, of course, a perfect fit. The only noticeable difference was that I felt far more free than I ever had before.

  Once I was done checking myself out in the mirror, again, I put on my belt and decided that I would bring my arming sword with me, openly. I always had it with me, but usually my decisions were whether I leave it in the storage or have it at my hip. This time I decided I should definitely have it at my hip, if only to show that I don't need their, likely mass produced, swords.

  I paused at the door. Would we even be a swordsman unit? I wasn't actually sure but in the end it couldn't hurt to bring my own weapons. I had my crossbow in it's holster/sheathe on my back as well as it's bolts in my storage should I need them too. I wasn't going to take any chances.

  Opening the door I saw that there were quite a few people from the barracks also in the corridor. This was good, I wouldn't be the first one their this time. I walked past a couple of the people who'd already seen me more than once, the subsequent double take made me smirk imperceptibly. I stalked down the narrow passage until I reached the open space of the outdoors. Promptly, I span on my heel and practically marched to the training ground that was labelled 'Training Ground 9'.

  I was the first one to arrive... again. This was such a scam, the system was clearly manipulating the others so they'd all arrive after me. Unfortunately, acting told me that I would have to start the line again, so I did. This caused Lieutenant Snow to grin down at me and the few men who had come in just after. The rats had been waiting, making sure they weren't the first ones in! I almost glared at them, but controlled myself and stood at ease on the helpfully placed white line in the ground.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  I was glad I had taken my arming sword and crossbow with me physically. A cursory glance around the field showed me that everyone else had a weapon with them too. One lad fell into line next to me and we shared a brief yet telling look. He was a handsome, buff, and composed brunette with curly hair that reached his chin and no further. If he was ginger we could've passed for siblings. Both of us were freakishly tall and had freckles that went across our cheeks and onto our noses.

  He grinned at me toothily, and I smiled back, watching as more and more people came into the clearing and took their places in the lines. The newcomers ended up either behind or to the side of us and it led to a roughly five by six box. Those of us at the front were better armed than those nearer to the back but I didn't think this was on purpose. Those who were not as well armed were a lot less likely to know how to line up because all of us who were well armed had experience, or in my case were faking experience.

  "Good! Good! Usually I have to beat how to line up properly into the heads of my new trainees but I guess this group is going to be the more elite task force for a reason!"

  He said this with a voice that seemed to boom. It echoed throughout the clearing and a couple of the younger ones flinched at the volume.

  "In case you forgot, I'm Lieutenant Snow! You will call me Lieutenant, Sir, Instructor, or That Fucking Madman in Charge!"

  He paused to grin at us. A couple of the men chuckled nervously, and I thought I heard one woman snicker. Then the Lieutenant got all serious again. His face growing harder and colder.

  "This camp is going to make you some of the best of the best, you are volunteers and so if you want to drop out I can't legally stop you. However, I will remember your names."

  Everyone seemed to straighten up a bit at that. The least veiled threat I'd ever heard, this guy was absolutely mad. Yet, despite all this, the people next to me did not look at him with fear. There was fear mixed in, but it was mostly excitement that I was seeing and feeling from around me. It threw me off, although it shouldn't have. We had already been told we were going to be the more elite type of unit.

  "Now, I want you all to run 10 laps around this here courtyard, and then once you're done come back here and line up again. Go go go!"

  He shooed us away and the group started jogging along the wall.

  Karrlund

  Training with General Knaol was... an interesting thing. I, and the other two, had been hired by the military to be guards for the high command. Obviously, as newly minted Mana-Steel ranks we were not quite up to the same standard as some of the other guards would be, at least when it came to defending a VIP.

  No one had any doubt that we would win against most groups of normal soldiers, and even assassins, in a battle, owing to the fact that we had fought and defeated our fifth Great Hunt. The Dire Wolf was a worthy rank up hunt for the guild and it put us on a pedestal almost the same as a Knight Lieutenant. I grit my teeth and jumped forwards to block the hidden strike from the second Knaol sibling, barely managing to push it back before I was once again alone with the ' Fragile VIP'.

  Of course the VIP in question was General Knaol, and she was anything but fragile. However, for the sake of the training I was treating her as if she were a porcelain vase. Once more I leapt into action, slamming my axe into the High Magus's Magick shield with force. I had no delusions of victory in this combat, I just needed to hold out for another few attacks and I'd be happy.

  "What was the best thing today!?"

  "What was the best thing today!?"

  "The Lieutenant got his pay!"

  "The Lieutenant got his pay!"

  That was certainly one of the call and responses I'd heard from the trainees in this courtyard. General Knaol audibly sighed, a rare crack in her usually impeccable facade.

  "That's the work of Lieutenant Snow..."

  I span quickly and jumped in the way as High Magus Knaol spoke but he didn't go for an attack this time, instead just shaking his head while smirking. Even I had heard of the absolute madman that was the infamous Lysander Snow. He was offered the position of Knight Captain twenty five times and turned it down every time because he didn't like paperwork. I almost pitied the poor sods who were going to be under him throughout the skirmishes, until I heard the next bit.

  "He was in charge of the Elites this time, right? I would guess that is their warm up. Ten laps of the entire courtyard originally and then if he likes the group he'll add on more."

  I shudder, even I'd struggle with that. General Knaol sees my reaction and laughs heartily. She slaps me on the back, causing me to become winded for a second, before gesturing for me to follow.

  "Come on, lets go see what your comrades in arms are being put through. I for one wouldn't wish Lysander's training on anyone."

  I raise an eyebrow and nod, silent in my agreement and I hadn't even seen it yet. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but the elites were certainly living up to their name. I had expected a mesh of stragglers and sprinters that wore themselves out, but those at the front and back were perfectly keeping the pace for those in the middle.

  A streak of orange caught my eye and for a second I thought I saw Feyre, but upon closer inspection this girl was severely... lacking... to be her. Also, she was a lot more militaristic, wearing a uniform of sort that I didn't recognise. I must have been staring because High Magus Knaol smirked knowingly and spoke.

  "She caught our eyes too, if she wasn't tied to a different country that we'd never heard of we'd have taken her for the guards. Unfortunately she's the equivalent of a Pseudo-Knight for a place called the Aetherium Republic. After looking into her, we discovered that she'd mentioned she was second child of a pretty big shot in the country. The investigators are almost certain the first child is the Lady of that house or whatever they called it in that country. The Iftanians have a lot to answer for."

  I straightened and the look in my eye must have given something away, even through the helmet, the High Magus was funny like that, could just know what you're thinking sometimes.

  "You know something?"

  I nod carefully and sigh.

  "I might have met the heir on my travels with my party and The Merchant King, Tyrril."

  I paused and saw both the Knaol siblings staring at me. Of course they would feel pretty strongly about sibling bonds, after everything that happened to them in the past.

  "And?"

  "And she isn't alive anymore... She was the second victim other than Lucius to the Dire Wolf..."

  They both looked away, it looked like even they weren't immune to sob stories. Or maybe they'd seen and heard so many that this was all they could give in reaction. The High Magus spoke before the General.

  "That's... That's a damn shame. Sounded like Dame Eleanor, that's the girl there, was waiting for her sister in the city and asked around about her quite a bit during her stay. Weirdly enough she was quite vague, and subtle in her questioning, and if we didn't have such good investigators we wouldn't have even known."

  "Thank you for informing us, this could maybe help us bring an end to the poor girl's worries. Although replacing her worry with woe is not the best outcome."

  I shook my head, looking down. After what Emrik thought he'd found about the circumstances of Feyre's death, I didn't think it would be right to ever approach Dame Eleanor. And so I vowed that unless ordered to, I'd avoid any confrontation.

  I saluted as the General and High Magus dismissed me, before jogging over to Pavolia and Emrik. I was going to tell them what I had just learnt, and then ask them what they think I should do. They were always far more social, well Pavolia was, and usually a lot less crass.