Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Though he did inform the House of Light about it. They'd know it sooner or later anyway. Cedric thought that it'd be better if it came from him. Gabriel expressed his support for his endeavors, as expected, and told him that if he needed anything, the House of Light would do its best to accommodate him.

Well, Cedric doesn't really require anything right now, but he did keep this in mind, just in case.

Anyway, the week passed just like that, and before he knew it, he was off to meet the Expedition Team he was joining.

This time though, Cedric wasn't required to go to any of the army camps. The Outer World Expedition Teams are loose on their rules within the civilization. According to what he heard, they already had enough of seeing the gloomy and depressing sight of the Outer World, it was a constant sight to them so why build their headquarters there?

To that end, they decided to have several bases scattered across the civilization. Some were owned by a specific team while others could be used by anybody who's part of the overall group.

Right, the Outer World Expedition Team is considered a branch of the army. Their task is to, obviously, explore the Outer World. They are the scouts of the army, to say the least.

Included in their duty were to; investigate locations beyond the walls, secure a site to build Outposts, inspect developments and report them to the army, locate any signs of hordes, spike in demonic activity, and last but not least, see if a specific place is eligible to be reclaimed by Humanity.

From what Cedric heard from his girlfriends, there were a total of 10 Outer World Expedition Teams currently in rotation. There used to be more but a fairly recent incident shaved their numbers greatly. The lack of personnel was the reason why expedition teams hardly caught a break. Even when they do, it's not for long.

The pressure on them increased even more with the rising tensions. They don't have enough hands on deck that's why their responsibilities have increased massively.

.

This was one of the reasons why Cedric decided to join them. Of course, the main reason was to be with his girlfriends...if that's allowed of course.

Cedric made his way to the main base of the expedition teams, which was within the capital. He already filed his paperwork and had Lissandra's help. If things were in his favor, then his team should be the same one that he had met a couple of times already.

Upon arriving there, he was stopped by the guards. He showed them his paperwork and they checked their systems if they were expecting someone. After confirming it, he was allowed entry and was told to wait in the lobby.

The interior of the base was neat. It wasn't extravagant or pompous like other organizations he had visited before. It was humble and had a homey feel to it, making him feel comfortable.

After waiting in the lobby for around 10 minutes, he was summoned to the office. Upon entering, he was met by a woman who instantly made Cedric wary but only very briefly.

'She's strong.' Cedric muttered inwardly. He didn't show any signs of intimidation though, mostly because this woman didn't mean him any harm.

"Welcome! Cedric, right? Please a seat, I'll be with you shortly, just have to get this batch of paperwork signed. Make yourself comfortable." The woman said with her head buried in a stack of paperwork on her desk.

Cedric nodded, which he knew the woman saw even though she was not looking at him, before taking a seat on the couch nearby.

Looking around the office, he noticed a bunch of things that made it personalized. He saw a couple of picture frames, mounted trophies from past expeditions, certifications, a couple of books that are about the history of the Outer World, and so on.

Cedric also noticed an entrance to a secret passage just beneath the woman's desk leading underground. There's also a hidden passage on the left wall which was connected to a specific book on the shelf right next to it.

He tried extending his senses to see what was beyond those passages but he discovered that something was blocking his senses from moving forward. He could bypass them but he'd likely trigger the alarms so he backed off.

Around 10 minutes later, Cedric heard the woman slam her hand on the desk and released a long and loud groan. She threw her head back and said:

"Damn, I wanna quit." She snarled, "Why the fuck is paperwork needed when we have computers and the System? Argh!!"

Cedric blinked, he stared at the woman and refused to say a word. The woman then looked down and remembered that they had a visitor. A look of mortification appeared on her face very briefly before saying:

"Oops, sorry you had to see that. I don't mean it by the way, I'm just annoyed at the paperwork."

"Right, uh...my name is Fiona, I'm the Head Manager of the Outer World Expedition Teams."

After introducing herself with a polite smile, she rummaged through the stacks of documents and found Cedric's file.

"Okay so...oh...oh damn, uh..." Fiona wore a strange look on her face after reading through Cedric's file. "Darn, here I thought we had a new recruit, it turns out that this young man's being drafted. Shit, what has the world come to?"

She whispered the last part, but because there were only the two of them in this office and it was quiet, Cedric heard it loud and clear.

Cedric then saw her collecting herself before looking at him again.

"Right, so...damn, I don't know what to say." Fiona wore an apologetic smile on her face before continuing. "Sorry that it had to be this way. Trust me, on normal occasions, we will never allow something like this, even if we're severely lacking personnel. But we're at tough times right now and we're also under a legal obligation to participate in war efforts."

"I don't mind. I'm here because I want to be here. You don't have to feel bad for me, I know what I'm getting myself into."

"Yes, that's what everybody says until the expedition day comes." Fiona quipped in a helpless tone. "Oh, well...thank you for choosing us, nonetheless."

Cedric could tell that this lady wasn't expecting much from him, and that was quite alright. Cedric has nothing to prove yet so he didn't mind this. Also, the way she acts and talks really causes people to lower their guard towards her.

Nobody would expect that this clumsy and nerdy woman was a genuine Planar Traveller Superhuman with the way she behaves.

"Here." Fiona took out a badge from her desk drawer and pushed it towards him. "This is your identification badge. Smear your blood in it and it will be keyed to you. The badge has a small recording device that will activate once you're on a mission so don't lose it. If it gets damaged or lost, contact your immediate supervisor and inform them, otherwise, you'll be punished, is that clear?"

"Yes." Cedric nodded before taking the badge. He smeared his blood on it and immediately felt its connection with him. "Am I required to keep this on at all times?"

"Not really." Fiona replied, "Only during expeditions or official missions. Oh yeah, you'll be considered as a 'Reserve Member' and will be under probation period. That means that you need to follow orders from your Team Captain since they will be the judge if you're suited for the job or not...not that we'd refuse another member...especially on times like this."

Once again, she whispered the last part but Cedric heard her loud and clear.

"Right, am I safe to assume that you'd want to be placed on the same team as your peers in the Academy?" Fiona asked.

"If you're talking about the team led by Elric, then yes, please. However, I'd also understand if you have other arrangements for me." Cedric replied.

"Oh, push!" Fiona waved her hand in dismissal. "Nothing of that sort. Frankly, none of us were expecting anybody to join us, even the ones that are forcibly drafted."

"Team Elric has been one of our top performers since they were formed, because of their performance and the tensions on the frontlines, their responsibilities have increased massively and they need more help right now. I was planning on having them join another team but well...you came, so strap in kid, this is gonna be a wild ride for you."

Fiona then stood up and said: "Come, I'll take you to where they are."

That made Cedric frown and ask: "Aren't they in the Black Lands right now?"

"Yes, they are." Fiona casually replied with a shrug. "I'm taking you there since they need urgent assistance."

Fiona then walked towards the shelf and pulled a book out of it. Then, the wall next to it opened, revealing a tunnel that led somewhere.

Before going inside, Fiona looked at Cedric and said: "Do you see a tunnel here?"

Cedric blinked before replying: "A tunnel? Isn't that a wall?"

"Good answer." Fiona smiled at him. She then tilted her head and said: "Come, follow me."