Chapter 187 Commanders Mackenzie

187 Commanders Mackenzie

The next out was Bob, whose warrior mark was glowing a faint gold, barely illuminating the mark.

"It seems that it was a close thing, but you too have passed the trials. Congratulations on your success, Commander Robert Mackenzie." The Matron greeted him.

"Thank you Matron. It got very touch and go there for a bit, but I am glad that I managed to satisfy the Gods that I was worthy of the Rank." He replied.

Then he turned to Karl, and gestured to where he had left his backpack.

"I have the loot split. If you don't mind, the mages were quite interested in the crystals for crafting, but they have offered a ring of Giant Strength and a magic sword in exchange. The values are equal, according to the church auditor." Bob informed him.

Karl nodded. "That works well enough for me. If they know someone who can make good use of them, then they are welcome to the gems. Has the cash been deposited into the account? I don't know how to check my card balance away from the Academy."

Bob nodded. "You can check it at the supply counter here at the Seminary Academy, or at any money machine in the towns. But yes, the money should be deposited already. It's a rather substantial amount, so try not to act shocked when you see it."

Alice gave Karl a curious look, and he shrugged. "We brought back two backpacks half loaded with coins from the Giants and Ogres. Even split five ways, it should be a fairly substantial amount, as Bob called it."

Bob handed over the ring and the sword, which Karl recognized as the dagger that they had gotten from one of the Giants, which Bob had been using himself as an improvement on the other sword he owned.

Karl slipped the ring on his finger, and strapped the blade to his pack until he could get a scabbard made for it. It wouldn't fit into the one for the sword he already owned, and he didn't have another way to carry it, like the metal loop that Bob used as a sword hanger.

The supply room should have something for him, though. They had all sorts of gear made by the church, and it was usually reasonably priced, from what he had heard. Even many of the items at the Golden Divine Academy were made here. FOllow newest stories at novelhall.com

The influx of power from the Ring of Giant Strength was impressive, and Karl wondered if he could do like Thor and flip an armoured car from a standstill. His own strength was improving, but with the odd tests of the trial instance, he couldn't say how well it compared to warriors at the same entry to Ascended Rank level.

"Thanks, I've got to run up and get packed, we're supposed to leave in fifteen minutes." Karl informed the supply chief, who smiled and waved for him to get running.

When Karl got back to his room, his school mission uniforms were all freshly laundered and waiting for him, along with a set of fresh Bronze badges. That had to be from either Alice or Rita, as they were Golden Divine Academy badges, not something that you would expect to see at the Seminary Academy, but Karl appreciated the gesture.

If they were here now, then they had been dropped off before his trial was complete, anticipating him succeeding.

With well practised motions, Karl tucked everything back in his pack the way that he liked the balance best, and then headed back downstairs to inquire about the fact that all the consumables from his last mission were already depleted, and he didn't have an opportunity to restock them.

The clerics were just getting down to the courtyard when he arrived, and there were stacks of supplies being loaded into the white bus convoy, in preparation to head back out again.

"This time it will just be us and the convoy guards with the supplies. The other missions only last for a week before they return to the Academy, so they bus team will wait for them there after we deliver the supplies." Sergeant Rita explained.

"Alright. I will need to restock as well, I returned here with nothing but loot in my pack." Karl replied with a laugh.

Lotus giggled and wiggled her fingers in the universal children's symbol for casting a magic spell.

"Don't worry about it. We've got all those sorts of supplies taken care of. Tessa can also use her magic to repair metal, so if you've got damaged gear, we can take care of that as well once we're in the field." The tiny cleric explained.

"It sounds like we're ready for almost anything then. Alright, I will let Thor out for a few minutes because he might not forgive me if he doesn't get to play with the clerics for a bit, and then we can go."

Those were magic words for Lotus, and Karl wasn't sure who was more excited to meet the other for the first time, her or Thor. There was a lot of happy squealing and rough affection from both sides, to the point that the other clerics were hesitant to join in until the two had calmed down a little bit.

Tessa smiled at Karl. "See what I mean? She's a bit too in tune with her animalistic side. But she's a good cleric, and you can always count on her to have your back."

Karl smiled at the War Priestess. "That's the only part that really matters, isn't it? If you can't count on them to have your back, it doesn't matter what else they can do or how their personality is."