Zhao Bing stood up from his meditative position in his newly assigned room. He walked out the door following the feel of his aether, he resisted the urge to undo the coffin himself, it would be more beneficial for the captin to do it himself. The feeling lead him down corridors, from one building to another before he met Yasemin. He wasn’t looking so he hadn’t noticed till she was just a corner away.

  “Slow down!” he commanded

  “What? You startled me” second lieutenant Yasemin spoke startled, she had been around the corner when he spoke so she hadn’t noticed him.

  “Where are you off to in such a rush?”

  “Uhm, to find you actually, something is happening with the captain.”

  “I know” Zhao Bing said as he walked past her “let’s go, I would hate to miss his face when he comes out.”

  Yasemin opened her mouth to say something then thought better of it and just followed him. They arrived at the captain’s room. It was as bare as his own room, strictly a sleeping space, no designs or personal touch except one framed picture on a stand beside his bed. It was the picture of a woman, she stood in a garden, her arms wrapped around a sleeping bundle of joy, pure happiness on her face as she stared at the camera. Zhao Bing was so caught up wondering what the relationship the captain had to the person in the picture that the sound of a crash startled him.

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  Following the sound, Zhao Bing saw at the other end of the room, captain Altan Niraj step out of what remained of the ice box as red as a lobster. He stepped over the ice on the ground which had only cracked despite its fall. The captain before would have broken that ice with all the aether that had been flowing through and off him but now there he stood lighter than the ice on his feet, Zhao Bing nodded.

  “Twelve hours, faster than I expected.” Zhao said with a smile “I guess you are not a captain for no reason”

  “I heard you, this was not the only way you could have helped me.” Captain Altan Niraj said as he squeezed his hand, testing his strength, aether was no longer flowing freely from his core but he was still stronger than his base state at tier four.

  “No! But do not discredit the method, it is one of the faster ones. I would say it was a success, you are at least 30% stronger, as you are now I would put more mind into it, if we fought.”

  “I am tired”

  “I am sure and your knees must be killing you” Zhao’s smile grew wider “i would know, I did tell them to place you standing.”

  “You are childish”

  “Why, it wouldn’t be much of a punishment if you just benefited from it. So, when are you going to fulfill your end of the deal?”

  “In the morning, I will make arrangements for your departure.”

  “Good, take your time. I am in no rush, it was nice doing business with you by the way.” Zhao Bing walked away, ignoring the looks lieutenants Lanka and Yasemin were giving him, whistling all the way.