"This, is where you will get every qinque you will ever have."

'Huh. I mean I guessed as much, but thanks for making it so cinematic I guess.' I thought to myself, after the underwhelming welcome to the lab.

"Now, please, miss Nicole, can you come up to the QSM, and press your hand on the..." As his instructions continued, I just zoned out, trying to memorise everything he just said.

But while he was talking about some things, my mind was trying to come up with a weapon that I might get. At first it went to some kind of sword, because I actually know how to use it, but a few seconds later my mind went onto some more... ranged weapons. Ones like guns, maybe bows, all because I was a bit of a coward. Well, not a bit. I was definitely a coward.

And then I heard the whirring of the QSM or whatever it was called, and saw that a suitcase was dispensed from a hole that opened up right in front of Nicole. The Special Rank Guy smiled, and said "Please, take it and open it here. Show the others how this works."

So she did just that. Opening it while holding it in one hand, some sort of blue tentacles with red lines that looked like arteries covered her upper body, save for her head and her stomach.

Barely a second later it made some sort of shape that looked like giant gloves on her hands, while covering her entire arms too. It also covered her chest and neck, which in all truth, are the most vital parts of your body, so protecting it is important.

"You can also activate your Araka Armour by using the device on your belt. It's supposed to cover your entire upper body, save for your arms. That way you can still effectively use your weapons no matter what they are." The Special Rank Guy was still really positive about all this, as if putting extremely powerful weapons and armour on young adults like us was as entertaining as watching funny videos on YouTube while high on weed.

It definitely isn't. Trust me, I know.

"The qinque you will receive was specifically selected to fit your fighting style, personality, as well as your physical build and preferences in things." He explained. "That means that not only your talents, but also fears were used for us to select the best possible qinque for you. There are even more functions, but I will explain them a bit later on in your career, when they become more important. Now, let's continue with the sorting, starting with..."

And again, I zoned out as he started droning on and on, while people started moving towards the QSM.

The three other newbies, that I didn't care about, all got their qinque in the following ten or so minutes.

Then came my turn to do the 'Ritual of Awkwardness' as I decided to call it, because you need to showcase your new Badass Superweapon™ while looking cool, and not feel too awkward.

"So, Nick, are you ready?" Asked another of the senior Investigators. She was an attractive woman, that's for sure, at first glance I'd say around 28 years old, and at a second one I'd say around 34 at most.

I nodded as a response, not knowing what else to say, and went over to the QSM, just like all the others did before me.

After taking my ring off of my middle finger, I put my right hand on the scanner and allowed it to do it's thing.

The whirring started again, this time unbearably long and loud, irritating me to no end, until what feels like an eternity of audio torture, it stops, and very, very small suitcase is deployed out of the hole that opened up just like before.

"Well, it seems you have gotten a newer qinque, one newer than even miss Nicole's. You will need to open the suitcase, and then add what's on the inside onto your belt, after which you can simply activate it." Mr. Special Rank said.

So I opened the suitcase, and took it out as instructed. The thing inside was cylindrical in shape, and long enough to protrude slightly from my hand as I was holding it, with a button on it's top. Or bottom. Depends on how you hold it. It honestly looked like some kind of modern grenade, with it's safety lid off. The only difference was that this thing had another small thing on it's side that would be used to hold onto a belt, if someone was wearing one.

So I put it on my belt. It fit nicely, to my surprise, and I pressed the button on the top. It started glowing a bit, and then it grew in size. I could immediately guess what it was supposed to be. I mean, I could have also guessed that it would be this, because I know how to use it.

It was a katana. Or at least it looked like it, but it was still in its sheath, so I still wasn't sure if it counted as one. But I would probably figure that out in some time.

"Well, now that everybody is equipped, let's go back up and get right to your mentorship!" Mr. Special Rank said. He's been talking a lot, at least 80% of the time. I couldn't wait until we were split up, and I wouldn't have to hear his voice so much.

And we went back up. Just like that. But we went one floor higher than we were before going down there. 

I hope I wouldn't get him as a mentor. Please, let me have at least this small bit of luck.

Violetta

Hello everyone, and thank you for reading!

I apologise for not getting this chapter out earlier, but I had a few small troubles. 

I will also be trying to get to 2k words in the next chapter, so it might take a while. 

I hope you're having a great day, and thank you once again for reading my work.