Main Story — “Initiation” — Oakridge Campus — Friday, 11:24 AMThe day after graduation was always slow and silent at the academy. Most classes had come to an end, the younger students had already returned home, and the summer courses did not begin until two weeks later. During this layover the struggling students of the academy were given the chance to retake exams and rewrite failed essays. However, they were few in numbers, as Oakridge kept a relatively high standard when it came to academia, and strived to motivate students in a multitude of different ways. Rumors had it that some students failed on purpose in order to secure exclusive time with the instructors betwixt graduation and summer classes. The academy frowned upon this kind of behavior, as it meant a great deal of additional administrative work for the instructors, but they did not punish the students for it. They could appreciate the students’ desire to work closely with the instructors, which could prove to be difficult during the semester, so there was not any official consequence for failing on purpose.
This day also marked the registration period for senior Guardians who aspired to be considered for Oakridge’s private military force. The Special Warfare and Reconnaissance Group, or WARG was known all around the world as a top tier, covert intervention group consisting exclusively of Guardians. While people had heard of it and knew that it existed, all of their operations were classified and known only to the headmaster of Oakridge academy. Each group, consisting of two to as much as ten Guardians, operates as independent cells. They are unaware of each other’s missions and whereabouts, but recognize each other in the field when and if they accidentally meet. The size of each cell determines the magnitude and importance of their mission. A large group will typically deal with large scale assaults, purge Mordrem nests, and offer assistance to the regular army; whereas smaller groups will operate in the dark side of things by investigating Sanctum, carrying out assassinations, and avoiding major confrontations in order to deliver surgical strikes.
The Helston Team had received their recommendations to join WARG a few weeks prior to graduation. The team itself consisted of Guardian students whom were all from the same town. Cid Dysley, the Headmaster of Oakridge, had kept his eye on their progress ever since they first stepped inside the academy. While the youngsters may not have been the ideal candidates for WARG, their superior strength rested in their unity. Even if some of them appeared to hate each other, there was a sense of kinship within their ranks that was extremely difficult to artificially create within other groups of students. The Headmaster knew about Samuel, of course, and the tragic history that the children of Helston had suffered, but in his mind it was the direct opposite to weakness, which is why he had personally overseen the Helston Team’s education and motivated them wherever and whenever possible.
However, keeping the friends of Helston in line was perhaps easier said than done. They spanned a wide range of different personalities, which were more than prone to mischievous and questionable behavior. One of the girls in the group, Olivia Celestine, was the first line of defense when it came to keeping them together, and the Headmaster had kept in close contact with her throughout the years. However, even she was not the ideal student that the instructors wanted everyone to be. Being a social butterfly, Olivia enjoyed various parties around campus and in the city a little too much. The graduation party was no different. She had dragged her friends to Lasana, which was the closest metropolis to Oakridge, and vigorously visited a dozen different clubs for the duration of the night.
Olivia had miraculously made it back to her dormitory at campus in one piece. This was not always the case. She had on more than one occasion awoken in strange places after a night of partying. One time she found herself in a dumpster behind some sleazy bar, and another time she woke up on a train headed to a city on the other side of Cetra. However, the academy was usually the place where Olivia would find herself on the day after. Whether it was on some bench in the park, in a classroom she needed to be, or in Aaron’s bed did not matter. At least she was in the right place. The peculiar thing was that Olivia never remembered how she had gotten to those weird locations. The night of fun and drinking was as clear as day, but the last few hours leading up to passing out were always foggy.
The alarm on Olivia’s phone sounded. She had no recollection of whether it was meant for this day or some previous purpose. It did not really matter, as she had to get up anyway. Olivia could instantly feel the alcohol on her breath and she was still clad in the clothes from last night—a pair of platform pumps, black shredded jeans, and a festive, oversized top. In addition, the door to her dormitory room was open. Apparently, she had just stumbled into the tiny apartment of sorts and passed out on the bed before she could do anything. Olivia could hear the sounds of housekeeping down the hall. Their vacuum cleaners were worse than wailing Mordrem. In the corner of her eye, Olivia could see the odd student passing by her room and leer inside. The girl sighed at the thought of everyone who had seen her drunken behind passed out on the bed. But, what did it matter? At least her spirits were at ease. The ceiling of Olivia’s dorm was clad in a miniature storm with dark clouds and occasional sparks of lightning gluing themselves to the walls.
Olivia groaned as she reached for a bottle of old water on the floor beside her bed. As she took a few sips, a message in the PA system sounded throughout the campus. It called the Helston friends to the Administration Offices. They were to register for WARG before lunch, which was in half an hour. Olivia sighed again. The process of being sworn into that group consisted of a student signing his or her name on a contract, which basically stated that they cannot talk about anything concerning WARG, that they must obey orders as given by the administration and other leaders, and that the service is a lifelong commitment, etc. However, it was the one job where students could make a hefty amount of credits every month. They had to pay for their own expenses, of course, but with some minor and proper management, that would be the least of their problems. Olivia and her friends had personal dreams and goals in their lives, of course, but WARG was certainly a good place to start. They were about cash in a million credits a year on this job straight out of school.
The Oakridge campus was an annex to the main academy where classes were held. There were dormitories for up to eleven hundred students, split in clusters of about a hundred and fifty apartments. Olivia’s room was located in the Omega section of the campus. Each section was built in the shape of a sphere around a central garden, and each sphere was connected to a central hub that housed cafeterias, recreational centers, libraries, and such. Olivia floundered out of her room on her fabulous platform pumps and leaned against a railing that overlooked the garden. It was a sunny day, nearing the end of May. The girl contemplated whether or not she had the time to change her apparel, but that process itself required more time than expected. Eventually, Olivia just gave up on the thought and proceeded to walk towards the campus hub. Her first destination was the Surfer’s Rest, a cafeteria with exceptionally good coffee, which she was in desperate need of.
Make your way to the Administration Offices and register for WARG.
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