The Perfect Specimen

The mission hall is a room that has one long desk stretching across from one end of the room to the other, with multiple attendants behind the desk assisting students with mission choices.

Alistair walks into the the room and waits in line to speak with one of the attendants. While waiting in line, he looks to his side and notices the same girl that was speaking to him in combat training.

He recognized her from her distinctive strawberry blonde hair, tied up in a ponytail that goes down to the middle of her back. Taking a closer look at her now, he notices her showing a sincere smile that causes her to seem much more approachable than before.

He then sees her walk away after speaking with the representative for a while looking determined, while still having the same two boys from before trailing behind her.

As she is leaving though she notices Alistair in line, she turns her nose up at him and walks away in a visibly more haughty demeanor. The two boys behind her still following closely, however after looking at them more, it doesn't appear that they are with her because they like her.

They are wearing expressions on their faces that seem to scream, "Just let me leave already!" However, Alistair chooses to ignore this and realizes it's his turn at the desk.

"Hello and welcome to the mission hall! May I see your Identification badge please?" The male attendant behind the counter puts on a chipper smile and speaks his rehearsed lines.

"Identification badge? I have my meal card if that's what you mean..." Alistair answers the attendant with an unsure expression.

"Oh! You must be a new student then. In that case I'll just need to link your meal card to a Identification badge for you, and you will be able to accept missions afterwards." The attendant calmly instructs Alistair.

"How come you can't just use my meal card? Isn't having to many identification cards kind of a hassle?" Alistair replies with a unsatisfied look, not sure about the constant new amount of things he will have to keep track of.

"I assure you sir that this is necessary. The meal card is for your points only, while the Identification badge is used to track your whereabouts so if something happens to you we are able to respond appropriately on our end." The attendant replies matter-of-factly to Alistair, taking his time to make sure he understands.

After having his doubts cleared up he follows the procedure and is issued his identification badge without a problem.

He then asks, "Okay, so what missions are available now?" Looking expectantly at the computer screen that is used to show the list of missions.

The attendant immediately pulls up all of the missions available on the monitor, by order of difficulty.

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Move supplies from warehouse to campus. Difficulty Rating: E

Clean combat training rooms. Difficulty Rating: E

....

Infestation elimination. Difficulty Rating: D

Instruct new students on harnessing energy and techniques. Difficulty Rating: D

...

Perform sentry duties on city walls. Difficulty Rating: B

.....

Destroy arachnid nest to the west of Utopia. Difficulty Rating: A

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A monstrously long list generates before Alistairs eyes, generating so fast he is only able to catch small glimpses of certain missions.

"These are all of the missions available currently, now filtering missions available to military program new recruits." The attendant offhandedly states as he deftly moves his hands across his keyboard.

The list begins receding at a pace just as fast as it generated, shortening the list from thousands of tasks down to fifteen quests that seems so tedious it is surprising it is a mission at all.

Repeatable tasks such as cleaning and fetching items fill the majority of the list, however one does catch his eye as he is going through each missions details.

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Cleaning equipment in the cafeteria. Difficulty Rating: D

Description: Whenever the equipment in the cafeteria is turned off, it releases a rattling sound. Please disassemble the equipment to dislodge any rattling pieces and clean off any grime that is causing the sound. Throw away any old or raw food ingredients found left behind equipment as well.

Time limit: 2 days

Reward: 100 points

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He sees the reward first and thinking that his card comes with 1000 points on it since he was given it. It would seem that the reward could be considered average.

What really draws his attention to this though is the chance for raw ingredients. Even though it is a stretch that it will be something appetizing for him,he remembers that the Rough Special was considered only raw ingredients.

He figured it's the only mission available to me that at least somewhat aligns with his goals. The goals being to get points and a chance at a way to curb his appetite.

"I'll take this one then." Alistair points to the screen and conveys his intentions to the attendant.

"Okay, the kitchen closes down for the day at 1800 every day. It is the issuers request that this be completed outside of work hours. If you would like to add companions to the mission statement at any time after this point onward, they will not receive the reward from the quest. They will only receive the marks of completion."

The attendant faithfully explains to Alistair, now knowing he is a new student.

"What are marks of completion? Is it another form of currency from points?" Alistair asks as he figures that each portion of the school must function as if they are separate entities.

"Not at all. Marks of completion have no tangible purpose such as buying goods and services. Instead, they function as a form of accolades. The more you have, the better your reputation and the more difficult missions you will be allowed to take." The attendant responds.

Alistair's questions cleared after the attendants response. After a few more inquiries about the mission, the attendant gives Alistair directions to the supply room for cleaning products he could use for his mission knowing that it is on the opposite side of the campus.

He says his thanks and after being registered for the mission he takes his identification badge and decides to walk over and prepare for the mission.

On his way over, he notices the girl with the ponytail and the two boys who have been following behind her staring at each other. The two boys have playful expressions on their face while the girl is trying to hold back a smoldering rage.

He decides that this isn't his problem and that if he went up to find out what is going on, she would turn him away with animosity. He instead walks past them as they are in the way to the supply room.

As he walks by he hears the girl say in a growl, "Did my older brother bribe you, or did you single me out from the start?" She glares daggers into each of them.

He is walking right past their sides now as he hears the boys say, "Michelle, what do you mean? This is for the best. Just imagine the hardsh.i.p.s you would have to endure if not for us doing this. You should be thanking us!" They smile smugly at her with a feeling of victory.

As Alistair is now past them he feels a tug on his arm and hears a voice coming from his side, "Oh, then thank you so much for saving me the future hardsh.i.p.s by tossing you aside now for others more capable!"

He turns his head to see the girl who was demeaning him not to long ago, holding his arm and acting as if they are best of friends to get back at those boys. His mind quickly spins into action as he thinks of the best course of action in this situation.

Alistair then sneaks a small evil smile to himself as he thinks of what he did to Roger the other day. "Okay, I can definitely use this. Do not blame me for this, I'm just a opportunist you tried to take advantage of!" He thinks to himself while realizing another fact about himself. He really loves taking advantage of others.