Author's Note: Hi! The author's back, on time! (Collective screams and cheers, stops when a recorder has the 'stop' button pressed. Silence and a slight groan here and there.)
Ok, never mind. So the next chapter's up, and more baddies appear! Yay!! Of course, there are some good guys too…
She closed an eye, pulling back the bow.
She couldn't miss.
"Soul Arrow. Double Shot."
Two shining arrows, one above the other, and both of them struck the target a thousand and five hundred feet away. A willow wand, thinner than a stick.
"Nice one, Amy. Perhaps you can repeat that for me."
Amy Socrates looked beside her, so focused was she in her archery that she hadn't noticed Andre Socrates, her younger brother of two years, standing beside her, smiling. The Crossbowman of an experience level of forty raised his crossbow, and, with a whisper of "Iron Arrow," shot a crossbow bolt through Amy's arrow, right in the middle, and struck the willow wand.
"Nice shot too, brother." Amy grinned. "That's the first time I've seen a shot like that…"
"I've been practicing. Like you should be. Don't disappoint Father."
"Don't worry, bro, I always train my archery. I'm at an experience level of 35 now."
"Good. Train more." Andre turned and left the field, away from the tens of students with a bow in their hands, ever aiming.
Amy looked at her younger brother leaving. In actuality, the Hunter had only met Andre a year previously. According to her parents, he had been sent to an Elinian Magic school, without Amy's knowledge, having an interest in magic, especially the art of healing and usage of the element of Light. He was highly intelligent too, a perfect Cleric. However, somewhere along the way, as a Cleric, the now-Crossbowman tired of casting spell after spell, reading book after book, and longed for some real action. Through unknown methods, Andre managed to become an Archer. Until today, Amy is still trying to find the secrets to switching Jobs. Not much success, though.
Perhaps another factor Amy could consider was that her brother trained almost every minute, every second he had spare time, both mentally and, surprise, physically, despite being a Cleric when he adopted his no-nonsense, just-train kind of attitude. Every second. Perhaps that was why Andre, younger than her, could surpass her in terms of experience level.
Perhaps.
After finishing up with her training, the Hunter Amy was having dinner with her family. Her little brother finished eating quickly, as was expected, before retiring to his room. To read another skillbook, most likely. Actually, he was going to his room. What difference would it matter, you might say. It did.
Because at that precise moment, a black cloaked stranger seemingly materialized in front of Andre, a Magicodar in his hands.
One could see a faint blue glow around the cloaked man, disappearing in a second after the stranger appeared.
"Poison Myst."
A green fog suddenly came from seemingly nowhere, covering the entire mushroom-shaped house.
Amy muttered, "This doesn't look too good…"
Her father, Ankou Socrates, a Ranger of experience level hundred and ten, replied with a "Nothing is nowadays," before raising his treasured Dragon Shinebow, one of the remaining four in Bera, from his back.
"Soul Arrow. Strafe."
Four yellowish shining arrows shot out towards the stranger.
None hit.
A first arrow was slowed enough to drop with a single Magic Bolt from the stranger.
The second and third were ripped to glowing shreds with a cry of "Magic Claw!" from the same cloaked stranger.
The fourth was simply blocked with an Esther Shield on the man's left hand.
"Do better next time."
Apparently getting too proud of himself, the stranger forgot about little Andre with his crossbow in his left hand, and a skillbook in his right.
The bespectacled teenager enunciated, in a deep voice belying his age, "Laser."
A beam of white light erupted from the crossbow, striking the Poison necromancer, and passing through him, burning a hole in the wall behind the unfortunate Dark Mage.
Or not so unfortunate.
The wind/light element technique missed the real necromancer, who stepped out from the shadows in the Socrates' darkened house.
The decoy exploded in a burst of greenish gas.
The Poison necromancer spoke. "Summoning techniques have always been a specialty for the Dark Mages. Fusing them with the element of Poison couldn't be easier. I'm surprised you got tricked though. The decoy has green eyes…"
"Shut up!" Amy shouted, raising her bow. "Soul Arrow! Double Shot!"
Two yellowish arrows flew from Amy's Viper, easily deflected by the Poison necromancer.
"Final Attack!"
A third arrow flew, and guess where it came from.
Amy's bow was literally smoking, a sonic boom still in the Socrates' ears. All eyes were on her.
"You could do a Final Attack? Amy…" Adeline Socrates, Amy's mother, gasped.
"It's quite obvious now, mum." Amy replied, a bored expression on her face.
The moment was interrupted by the common enemy, the Dark Mage, with an arrow in his shoulder. With a call.
"Wrath of Demeter!"
Liquids and gases of all color and thickness flooded the mushroom house, some eating through the furniture, others simply choking the inhabitants of the two-story building.
Except for two figures.
One, obviously, was the necromancer.
The other was Adeline. It was quite obvious to the others though, she being a Fire/Poison Mage.
People who have mastered the element of Poison beyond the Third Advancement were immune to poisonous objects, expired food, the like.
The middle-aged woman pulled out a wand from her robe. "Poison Breath." A ball of concentrated corrosive acids flew in an arc towards the necromancer.
It was dodged by the Poison Dark Mage, where the sphere melted the wooden flooring.
The Dark Mage responded. "Not bad…"
"We have you, stranger." Ankou started. "Your right shoulder has been struck by a projectile, courtesy of my daughter. You won't be able to control the direction of your techniques and spells without raising your wand…"
"Oh?" The Poison necromancer flipped his wand to his left hand, raising it. "I forgot to tell you. I'm ambidextrous."
Adeline cut in. "So be it. Fire Arrow!"
Amy and Andre joined the fight, the sea of poisons having dried up, shouting, simultaneously, "Soul Arrow! Double Shot! Final Attack!"
Six glowing arrows and a flaming arrow zoomed out from three different weapons. If one didn't hit, the others will. And if it wasn't bad enough, Ankou added an "Inferno! Strafe!"
"Wrath of Demeter!"
Another sea of corrosive and poisonous liquids erupted from the ground and rushed out from the Dark Mage. All arrows were immediately swallowed. As an additional bonus, Andre was swept off his feet and constricted by the liquids, which had frozen.
"One more move and I will kill him!" The Dark Mage waved a wand at the crossbowman, then Ankou, who had yet again raised his Dragon Shinebow. But then, the Bowmaster was hardly going to listen.
Suddenly, without warning, the Poison necromancer disappeared in a flash of blue light, taking Andre with him.
"Andre!" Amy screamed, clutching at where her younger brother used to stand.
Ankou was calm as ever. "This calls for an extreme measure." Taking out a device similar to a handphone, the Bowmaster spoke into it. "A good afternoon to you, Colonel. I'm sorry to disturb you, but I would like to have EagleEye mobilized immediately. Take it as a request from you friend. It's for an emergency…"
As her father continued spouting into his device, Amy wondered. EagleEye? Isn't that the Bowmen section of BeraCross…?
While Ankou kept his device, Amy questioned him. "EagleEye? Are you a guild member of BeraCross? The greatest police force not related to the Four Wise Men?"
Ankou frowned. "Very well then. No use hiding this fact from you. I am the captain of Section Two, Eagleeye. It's a highly dangerous position, and I don't want to implicate the Socrates, so only certain people know about this. Like the Colonel. He can be trusted."
One could tell the Hunter was getting interested. An idea began to form in her head.
"Dad." Amy started with a serious tone. "Do you think I can apply for a position in BeraCross?"
"Are you sure about this?" Ankou asked her daughter warily. "The risks are high. You could get killed, easily, without training."
Amy thought about it. A guild for law. I can find bro more easily with BeraCross' help.
"Yes."
Pretty soon, Kane and David were touring the BeraCross' facilities in HQ00, the training camp.
BeraCross, being a large guild, had eleven sections, mini-guilds, each with a Headquarter. HQ00 was for trainees, rank one to two out of the five possible ranks in a guild.
HQ01 was also known as HolyCross, the Crusader's section. Fighter, Crusaders and Heroes of rank three and four, as well as a rank five, belonged here.
HQ02 was EagleEye, the Bowman's section.
HQ03 was the Fire/Poison Mage's section, known as FlameThrower.
HQ04 was the Assassin's lair. Named SwiftStrike.
HQ05 was for Spearmen, and was known as DragonRage.
HQ06, FrozenArrow, Crossbowmen.
HQ07, the Bandit's home of BeraCross. ShadowSight.
HQ08, Ice/Lighting Mage. StaticIce.
HQ09, Knights and Pages. ArcaneSword.
Finally, HQ10, Clerics. Known as DivineLight.
Of course, the duo of Kane and David were in HQ00, and watching as a recruit got beaten up.
"The combat simulator of BeraCross. To toughen up new recruits, like you. Of course, the word simulator is a misnomer, the recruits simply being protected by Priests during the fight. And the Priests always allow injuries, except for fatal ones. The bruises and scars from the match remain." Their guide, a Harrison Forte, rambled on.
"Okay…" David muttered. "No need to continue. Bland enough as it is."
"Ah, but you've not reached the most exciting part yet." Harrison smiled. "There's a skillbook library, with a history of its own. The canteen of Headquarters double-zero has a variety of food. And there's the Engineering Station, where we design new weaponry."
"Design?" David questioned, interested.
"Yes, design. Don't think all weapons have to follow the usual sword, dagger, bow, all these crap. Want to know more, follow me."
A few minutes later and Harrison had the duo with him at the Engineering Station. It was interesting enough, with a busy group of mostly Clerics and Ice/Lighting Mages running about, fixing a machine here, and writing up a formula there.
"Say, it's quite hectic, eh?" David looked about him. Kane remained quiet. As usual.
"As it always is. The ES is what takes up almost half of BeraCross' funds, and we do not disappoint the Council of BeraCross." Harrison answered. The Council was a group of eleven individuals, each a Colonel from each HQ, and an eleventh GuildMaster. The duo of Kane and David were recruited by Council Member 2, Jason Rain.
"Colonel, where do I place this blade?" a female voice called out, running towards the three of them who were touring HQ00.
Harrison Forte replied. "That, Opal, is for the blacksmiths to handle. Leave it."
"Yes sir." Opal muttered, running back to her workbench, dropping the blade next to a fellow Fire/Poison Mage beside her. The Mage went to work heating it up, before hammering the blade.
David turned to their guide.
"Colonel?" He questioned.
Harrison nodded.
"Colonel Forte, Bishop of experience level 150, Council Member 10 and Colonel of DivineLight."
"Okay…" David muttered.
"Ah, yes, I forgot." Colonel Forte continued. "It has always been the custom of BeraCross to let ES start the recruits on their way up the ranks." He handed Kane a peculiar blade, its handle the same length as its blade, and two more blades extending sideways from its hilt. "The Cross dagger, BeraCross' own weaponry. It requires an experience level of 30 to wield, but is as powerful as a Sai or Lozenge Dagger."
Immediately after that, a Cleric hurried towards the Colonel, holding a crossbow. He handed the crossbow to Harrison, who gave it to David.
"The Auto crossbow, another BeraCross-designed or ES-designed, weapon. It can be reloaded one-handed, and can fire bolts constantly by holding the trigger here. It requires an experience level of 30, too."
David gasped, observing the crossbow. "Wow…"
Colonel Forte looked behind him. "It's a minute walk away from the Combat Simulator, or CS, as we call it."
David started.
"You don't mean…"
"Get a head start." The Bishop cut in. "Surely you two didn't enter BeraCross for some biscuits and a cup of coffee."
Kane suddenly raised his head. "Indeed. We are not here just for fun. We are here for a reason. The duty of upholding law falls on BeraCross. And we shall continue this tradition." With that statement, the Bandit strode off.
"Wait up!" David Falcon ran after him, crossbow hanging at his hip.
"By Lith, that recruit sure is enthusiastic…" The Colonel muttered, turning to his own custom-made workbench.
Author's Note: Yes, Andre is left-handed. And sorry for the slight delay, I have more important things to do than lengthen a bunch of words with more similar words, such as overloading my brain with Chinese characters. Ahem.
