ODYSSEY (Punishing: Gray Raven X Arknights X OC Characters)

Vol. 3/ Chapter 5: Hired gun

Columbia, City of Ironforge
Armatek main headquarters
Training facility.

"Okay~, here we are." Hera said as the elevator doors parted. She led Lee and the others towards a stretch of hallway that began curving towards the left, as the architectural structure of their headquarters was peculiar, to say the least.

As they rounded the corner, the five of them nearly bumped with a group of people. It was a mixed group of tier 2 and 3 agents, and when they recognized who they bumped into, they immediately bowed and greeted Hera.

"Good afternoon, Manager Hera!" they greeted in an almost synchronous manner, which made Lee feel surprised.

"Ara~, you needn't bow! Have a good afternoon to all of you~!" Hera smiled back and waved, before walking forward while humming to herself. Due to how fast her steps we're, she merely left the four of them in the dust, forcing them to walk briskly afterwards.

"Wow, The Manager is so beautiful!" One of the male agents remarked.

"I know right!?" the rest of the group exclaimed as they entered the elevator.

"She seems quite the celebrity here..." Lee uttered, glancing at the massive glass windows that lined his right side. Beyond it was the city horizon, spanning over 4 kilometers or so, as the headquarters was located near the central district of Ironforge. He could see vast amounts of smoke coming from factories near the outer edges of the city.

No matter how much he sees the landscape here in Terra, he still can't get enough of the abundant scenery it offers. It probably was his longing for Earth's state before the punishing virus outbreak began. It was all so good back then, if only they could have contained the outbreak.

"Duh, asshole, she's The Manager." Adelaide scoffed at him from behind, making him snap out of his sudden reverie. Peityr, who was walking to his right, stifled a genuine laugh of surprise. Franziska kept her usual composure as she walked in front of them.

"Tch, what I meant is that they seem to have seen her in person for the first time. Does Hera rarely make public appearances?" Lee asked no one in particular as they went up a small flight of stairs, ascending to where the training facility was located.

"I mean I get that she's the owner of the company and such, but shouldn't she be- *thud!*" His sentence was cut abruptly short after he bumped into Franziska's back. They haven't even reached the top of the stairs, yet all of them stopped dead in their tracks.

"Uhhh, what are you-"

"Shh, shut your trap for a second!" Adelaide hissed and elbowed him hard, still clearly taking revenge for him throwing a table at her head.
He just glared at the smirking Ægir, before averting his gaze to the scene in front of him.

A man of massive stature sauntered with elegance towards Hera, who was visibly shocked by his appearance as she stood frozen in place. He sported long, bright red hair that was tied in a low and messy man-bun. His skin was pale, but not vampiric-pale, which made the black turtle neck and overcoat stand out more due to his skin tone.

He then stops in front of Hera, puts his arms over her shoulders, before pulling her into a hug. The Manager returned the favor, tightly clinging on to him as if she was going to loose him. She looked like a child compared to the red haired man's height as they stood there in their seemingly unending embrace.

Hera was by no means a small woman. She towers most of the women employed here in Armatek, except for Franziska, of course. However, just looking at the giant of a man holding her in his strong arms made her look like a fragile woman.