Day 293 Floor 48 (Order of the Chimera Headquarters)
"Four weeks and three squads later," laughed Slayer as he lounged within the guild's meeting room. Mia was sitting across from him, but she was not nearly as amused.
"This is not funny! Couldn't you have at least tried to get along with the teams Shaun set us up with?" Mia said as she glared across the table at her partner.
"Oh come on! I have to put them through the ringer a few times to make sure they're up to code. It's not my fault they all turned out to be a bunch of pansies."
"You're lucky Shaun is humoring us still."
"Why is that? I've not requested any new teams. All I have done is consented when they'd ask to leave and return to being normal Order of the Chimera members."
"We both know he's not an idiot. He knows exactly what you're up to but he's more amused than annoyed at the moment."
"Whatever. Point is we're getting some new recruits today and I get to have some fun."
"So when are they supposed to get here?"
"They should be arriving any moment. At least, the others will be," said Slayer as he turned to stare into the shadows in the far corner of the room. "You can come out now."
"Impressive," said a woman as she emerged from the shadows. She looked as though she was in her late teens, with long, luxurious black hair, and a body that seemed more suited for a day at the beach than combat. Her eyes were a deep blue and they radiated with untold knowledge. Her apparel was all a deep green and she appeared to be wielding a katana. "I can see why the boss has been willing to put up with you. If the rumors are to be believed, you're an exceptional player, if not a complete and total asshole."
"Hey!" shouted Mia in indignation. She had no intention of letting this woman speak of her friend in such a manner, but she was cut off by Slayer's laughter before she could even begin.
"I like you," said Slayer. "People should always speak their minds, other people's feelings be damned. After all, life's too short for trivial bullshit like common courtesy dictates. So what's your name?"
"I'll give you three guesses and one hint."
"The hint?"
"My name is known to you not by tales but by appearance."
"So what exactly do I get if I guess right?"
"What would you like?" the mysterious woman asked huskily.
"That's easy," said Slayer as his eyes roamed over her luscious curves.
"You idiot!" said Mia as she hauled off and slapped Slayer back into reality. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Just having a little fun. Relax," he said as he turned once again to regard the woman. "So the answer is hidden within your appearance? Give me a minute to think," Slayer said as he dropped his head into his hands in thought. The two girls were staring daggers at each other when he finally spoke. "Jade."
Time stood still as the woman eyed him. Suddenly, without warning, she burst out laughing.
"Indeed it is. So when shall you claim your prize?" Jade purred.
Slayer was about to answer when he caught sight of Mia. She looked as though she could murder him without shedding a single tear. Sighing, Slayer just began shaking his head.
"You can be such a pain. So, Jade, where is the rest of your little team and what exactly is it that you do?" said Slayer to try and set a more professional atmosphere.
"Me? I can do whatever you need me to," said Jade, eliciting an obscene groan from Slayer. Seeing Mia's glare, she decided to change tactics. "Oh! You meant in battle. Silly me."
"Yeah. Silly you," ground out Mia as she hugged her arms to her sides to keep from strangling the provocative woman.
"I guess the technical term for me would be a rogue. You could say I do my best work after dark," she quipped, drawing another groan from Slayer. "I prefer to take care of things quickly and with as few witnesses as possible."
Mia was just about to lose it when suddenly the door opened and two men walked inside.
"Hey, I'm Ted," said the larger of the two. He looked to be in his late twenties and stood as tall as Slayer, with thick, rippling biceps and a neatly shaved head. Slung across his back was a rather impressive looking claymore covered in intricate swirls. "I hope Jade here didn't cause you too much trouble. She can be a bit of a flirt."
"You can say that again," mumbled Mia.
"So who exactly are you?" asked Slayer as he once again resumed his uncaring posture.
"As I said, my name is Ted. I'm the current leader of this little troop, though if I understand things correctly, it looks like you're my new boss."
"Glad to see you understand that. So what is your job? I wouldn't bother asking considering your appearance, but you know the old saying about what happens when you assume something."
"I'm the resident tank. I am a firm believer that one shouldn't force one's subordinates to do anything you wouldn't do yourself."
"Fair enough. What about the scrawny little twerp behind you?"
"My name is Mac, sir," he responded after Ted had pushed him forward and prompted him. He stood closer to five feet than six, with scraggly sandy, blonde hair, and with a body that clearly showed his preference of playing games rather than actual physical activities. He seemed to be about sixteen and he didn't appear to be carrying any sort of weapon.
"So what is it you do?"
"I'm a medic, sir."
"You're a what?"
"A medic, sir. I'm highly proficient in mixing potions."
"That is great and all, but where are your armaments?"
"My what, sir?"
"Your weapons! Where are your weapons?"
"I prefer not to carry them around when I'm not out in the field, sir."
"Well that ends now. I need you to be ready at a moment's notice should I need you. What do you favor?"
"A sword and shield, sir. I'm not very good in combat situations so I mostly switch in and block with my shield while the others take their potions and heal."
"Honestly, you sound like a waste of space to me, but I'll give you a shot. Are you all ready for your first test?" asked Slayer as he leaned back and smiled wickedly.
Day 293 Floor 46
Slayer led Jade into a forest. He had given orders for Ted and Mac to stay behind and wait for him to retrieve them for their own tests. He had brought Mia along with him and Jade, not willing to let the newcomers protect her.
"So why are we here again?" asked Jade after they'd walked a little while.
"Because I want to test each of your skills. You claim to be a rogue so I want to see if you're any good. There are two monsters up ahead. Show me you can kill them without any unforeseen difficulties and you pass," said Slayer as he took up position with Mia to watch from afar.
"Watch and learn," said Jade as she broke off and melded into the shadows of the trees. She took her time approaching her enemies, making sure each step was silent and precise. As she neared her quarry, she could finally begin to make out details. They both appeared to be some sort of humanoid canine creature with crude wooden clubs. After assessing the situation for a moment, she had a plan and set it in motion.
Jade began circling her foe, drawing their attention with the occasional sound of a broken twig or rustled leaf. She was going to use their powerful sense of hearing to her advantage and get them off their guard. The two creatures didn't know which way to face as the sounds were coming from all sides. When the two finally turned in opposite directions, she struck.
She dropped from an overhanging limb, without making a single sound, and drew forth her katana. With one fluid thrust she had pierced the creature's neck, rendering speech impossible and killing it almost instantly. Then she was gone once again, back to the safety of the trees and shadows. When the remaining creature turned to find its companion gone, it began turning wildly, its ears pricked to pick up the tiniest sound. Suddenly, it heard a thud right behind it and turned to face its opponent, only to find a rock and a katana blade protruding from its chest.
Jade made a show of sheathing her katana as she made her way back to where Slayer and Mia were waiting. She stopped directly in front of the two with a smug smile splayed across her face.
"So, how did I do?"
"You passed."
Day 293 Floor 50
"You ready, Ted?" asked Slayer as he and Mia once again took up posts to watch the test from afar. Slayer had brought Ted here to face off against a trio of orc-like creatures known for their brute strength. His only challenge was to survive without any outside help.
"Sure. No problem," said Ted as he strutted out into the clearing where the three creatures were gathered. They were all wielding axes and their skin was a strange shade of green. They all had two small tusks protruding from the corners of their mouths. The formed a wedge formation once he drew near. Ted took up his own battle stance a short distance away and readied his claymore.
The creatures rushed in as a single unit and took up points around Ted, blocking off any hope of escape. Ted began slowly rotating as he twisted and turned his claymore to try and block as many of the beings incoming attacks as possible. After discerning a pattern, he made his move. He tried for a whirlwind technique to try and decapitate all three at once, unfortunately two of the three had enough time to react in order to avoid the attack. Now he was down to two opponents.
He tried to turn to keep the two remaining monsters within his peripheral at all times, but they had other plans. Deciding his best bet was to stay on the offensive, he swung his sword straight for one creature's abdomen, but it jumped back out of the way. Instead of stopping the attack, Ted used the momentum to turn himself and struck the feet out from the other monster. Once it hit the ground, he quickly embedded the tip of his sword in its skull, right as the third monster embedded its axe in his shoulder. His health nearing a third after the original onslaught and the various nicks he'd received since, Ted decided it was time to end things.
Twisting away from the creature, he managed to wrestle the embedded axe out of the monster's hand. With no weapon left, the creature tried to flee. It had only gone a couple steps when Ted's claymore cut through its head, separating it at its top and bottom jaws. He returned to Slayer and Mia, happy to have succeeded.
Day 293 Floor 1
"Ready for your test, pipsqueak?" asked Slayer once him and Mac were alone in a secluded field. He had sent Ted and Jade with Mia to the church to make sure nothing happened like the last time he'd left her alone there.
"Yes, sir. But why did you bring me here? I know I said I wasn't much in terms of combat situations, but this is degrading."
"You misunderstand. I brought you here for two reasons. One, so Mia could visit with Sasha while I conducted your test. And two, so there would be no distractions during your assessment. Your opponent is not one of the local creatures, but rather me."
"You, sir? I can't fight you."
"Maybe not, but your test is not to defeat me. If you can block a single attack from me, you'll have passed. Are you ready to begin?"
Mac nodded as he prepared his shield for what was to come. He was trembling in fear, but he was determined to see this assignment through to the end. He watched with wide eyes as Slayer drew Unrighteous Reaper up over his head and prepared to strike. Mac closed his eyes when he saw Slayer begin his arcing attack, but he never made any move to dodge. Next thing he knew, he was being grasped by his shoulders.
"You pass."
"Huh?"
"You heard me."
"But you never struck my shield, sir."
"Look, I don't expect exceptional combat prowess from some medic, but I want to know you've got guts and would be willing to lay your life on the lines if I needed you to. You just demonstrated that to me. Therefore, you pass."
"Thank you, sir."
"You can stop calling me sir. It's really annoying. Now come on, let's go join Mia and the others at the church. Sasha would strangle me if I didn't drop by," said Slayer as he led the final member of his new squadron to the church and their waiting comrades.