Chapter 3: Fresh Meat's Initiation
Summary: Twas the night before the tournament, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…
Except for a few.
"Do we have to, Erin?"
This would be Kouga's last attempt to stop her from breaking into bedroom 040. The girl opened the door with an air of determination.
"Course we do." Erin scoffed, rummaging through the gardening shack. "Where's the crowbar..?"
"Glave is gonna get on my case if we wake him up…" he sighed, leaning against the wall, gloved hands in his pockets.
"Oh yeah... I wanted to knock Edgelord off a few pegs anyways. Fresh Meat has to get dunked."
He nodded, with a sigh.
"I could just get him in and out…"
Erin turned back to him, with some sort of smarmy grin.
"That's no fun!" she huffed. "It's like a heist film! We gotta do it all complex-like. Going retro!"
Kouga nodded, reluctantly, as Erin pulled out a sledgehammer.
"Hold this just in case."
"Yeah, sure…"
Kouga took the massive tool- did they really need it?
Knowing Erin, it was probably just for show.
Erin slammed the door shut, crowbar in hand, a wide grin on her face.
"Come on. Game start."
"Alright, be very careful."
Kouga nodded, as Erin tiptoed up the attic steps. He thought the crowbar was just for 040- no. No it was not.
The crowbar was for the lounge upstairs. Then, they'd get the key from upstairs, then use that to break into 040.
Of course, it wasn't as easy as it sounded. But it sure was as showy.
As each step made a creaking noise, Erin was specifically slow in walking up them. Kouga- sledgehammer over his shoulder, was walking behind her- bored.
"The Guildmaster has eyes like a hawk, ears like a bat, and the nose of a bloodhound. Sure, we're breaking the door off their man cave and all, but we have to do it quietly." Erin explained- leaping over a particularly loud step.
"Yeah, of course." he uttered.
As Erin finally- finally made it up to that final step, she flexed her fingers, and gently prepped the crowbar.
"This part requires a precise movement. Frame-perfect." she mumbled. "No continues!"
She gave it the softest tug she could probably muster.
Kouga found himself sighing- deeply.
"Oi- I got it! Just… A little like this-"
An equally pathetic tug. The door moved a little.
"See! Progress!"
"We'll be here all night."
She ignored him that time- vouching to tug- then stop if she made too much noise.
"Ghost Driver - Phaseout."
He walked past- and straight through Erin, then straight through the door she was trying so hard to break open so gently. A sickly green aura surrounded him.
As he entered the dark lounge- waiting for his eyes to adjust from pale moonlight to pitch blackness, his hand reached for the doorknob.
Only to phase through it.
Oh, right.
The aura faded, and this time, he was able to unlock and pull open the door with ease.
Erin almost tripped inside- but grabbed onto the doorframe to balance herself.
"Or that. We could've done that." she mumbled, heisting the crowbar over her shoulder. The light of the stars brightened the dark room.
… "That's how he sleeps?" Erin mumbled, staring at the guildmaster.
They were positioned like a bat- hanging upside-down, wrapped in a sleeping bag.
Even as they slept, the cloak was still on.
"Don't judge." Kouga mumbled, leaning on the wall. "Get the key."
She nodded, with a quiet snicker. He saw her figure sneak off into the dark of the room- slowly but surely. She pulled open a drawer, and pulled something out with a light jingle.
"...Kou..!" she hissed, turning back to him.
"What?"
"I can't read this, so I'm just gonna bring the whole key ring out!"
Reluctantly, he nodded back, watching her crawl back into the light. As soon as she was safely out the door, she sighed in relief.
"Let's see what we got... What was it again?"
"040."
She nodded, shifting through the keys as quietly as one could.
"Like I said. Heist mission!"
She began wiggling a key out, and pocketed it. With flair, she rolled back into the room, and threw the key ring into the open drawer.
As it hit the hardwood inside with a loud jingle- his heart almost skipped a beat.
For a moment, it was silent.
Then, Erin gave him the "O-K" signal with her right hand, and gently pushed the drawer closed this time.
As she crept out of the room, she smirked, spinning a silver key between her fingers.
"Objective complete!" she grinned, and began walking down the steps.
...She left the door wide open. With a sigh, Kouga pulled the door closed, and followed after her.
"Alright! Phase 2!"
As Erin unlocked the door- much less carefully this time, and kicked the door open.
"You're my muscle! Get Fresh Meat!"
Kouga nodded, with a sigh, and walked into the room. Erin followed after him.
He couldn't deny that Trace looked so peaceful while he was asleep. Only in blue and white boxers, snoring gently.
He lifted him out of bed, in a bridal hold.
"How's Edgelord?"
Kouga glanced to the opposing bed.
If it was possible for someone to angrily sleep, Glave was certainly doing it. Clutching his blanket as if he was giving it a chokehold, kicking his legs back and forward, practically growling. One of his fists were clenched- as though holding a sword.
Seems like he was ready for tomorrow.
"...Sleeping."
"Oh. Damn. Guess we can't use the sledgehammer."
She looked back towards Glave expectantly, almost as if she wanted him to wake up.
"Erin."
"What?" she asked- in false innocence.
"We'd bludgeon his head in."
"He could take it." she snickered, walking out. "Come on. Next chapter."
She slammed the door shut. Glave still didn't wake up, but Trace shivered in his arms.
Kouga hefted Trace over his shoulder, and followed after her.
"Wake up, Fresh Meat!"
Trace jolted awake with a yell.
"I'm being abducted!" he shouted, slamming his fists on Kouga's backside.
"Relax. It's just us." Erin said, with a cheshire-cat esque grin. "We're going on a journey!"
"Erin..? B-but… it's… What, 3 in the morning…"
"Does it matter? You'll like this!"
Kouga felt Trace nod, and calmed.
"...I'm starting to get dizzy…"
"We're almost there, calm down!"
Kouga could indeed see the river from here. It was running gently, making little noise as they approached.
"Alright! This good, Kou?"
Kouga nodded. He could throw a boy that far safely. Erin's grin widened.
"From this day forward, Fresh Meat… You are now... Cooked Blue. Toss him."
"Wait, what-"
Before Trace could finish, Kouga dropped him from his shoulder, back into his arms- and vaulted him towards the river.
"AAAH!"
There was a loud splash.
"Mission complete!" Erin yelled. "Celebratory handshake!"
Though Kouga snorted in response, he entertained the command- the two high-fived, locked fingers, separated fingers, fist bumped, and finished by giving each other the bird.
"What the hell was that?" Trace yelled, as he erupted from the water.
"Initiation!" Erin smirked. "We all went through it!"
To be technical, they did not start doing it until Erin made it a permanent thing. But, that wouldn't help their situation, would it?
"It's three in the morning, and I apparently have a death match tomorrow. I spend the night before mopping a man out of glue and getting dumped in a river by that very same man."
… "This is what being a Legal is like…" Trace muttered, with some sort of strange awe.
"...So cold…"
Even with Kouga's jacket over his shoulders, drenched from drying himself off, Trace was still shivering.
"We'll get back to the guild hall in a bit." Kouga sighed. His arms were bare- at last showcasing the black guild mark on his right shoulder.
"Yeah, you can dry off, crack open a warm one, whatever. Pour you a glass of coffee or something." Erin added, with a shrug.
"He probably wants to go back in bed, that'll just keep the kid up…"
"Fine, Mister Nutritionist! Cup of hot chocolate!"
Kouga nodded- he liked hot chocolate…
"...Not a fan…" Trace stuttered, clutching the oversized jacket closer to his body.
Erin sighed- exasperated. "Cup of tea! Either that, or a cup of hot milk!"
The boy nodded, somewhat pleased.
Kouga could admire the kid. At least he saw good in this situation.
A/N: This was self-indulgent, and finished about an hour after Chapter 2 was published. But, I let it sit for awhile to finish up some…
Preparations...
Also, posted it a bit early. School's starting for me the day after this goes up, so I'll get this one chapter out while I can.
I needed this "initiation" scene to happen. I wanted to continue on with the three getting some steamy beverages and placing bets for Fight Club, but I decided against it. It would've just dragged on.
Switched up the P.O.V. for some variety. I'll do this a bit more during Fight Club, so I hope you all don't mind.
(...I mean, what else would I do for the parts that Trace isn't in? Plus, a little variety is always good.)
Kouga and Erin were not intended to be the power duo of this guild, but for this chapter alone, I'm glad they were.
I like the nickname "Edgelord" because it not only fits Glave's magic, but it also describes him as an individual.
There's not much to say, this time! This was honestly a pretty short filler…
Well, I showed off the first spell! ...Does that count as anything special?
But, the battles begin next chapter!
On the topic of Fight Club, for today's Question of the Chapter: It's the betting pool. Who do you think is going to win? How far will each character make it, and the likes.
It won't affect the outcome, but I'll consider what you say for a later date.
Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe if you enjoyed this chapter. Or dislike. Maybe share it around? Signal boost me a little.
Synopsis section will be shorter, as these will just be tidbits of lore from now on…
...Or until this arc ends.
In Response…
Firefly OwO
Good tastes. Who wouldn't like a giant talking saber-toothed tiger? Tora's a pretty chill dude.
I hoped Glave's intro would stick out! He's a rather interesting one, indeed… Wonder what's up with him?
Inkwell Princess
Scream it into the heavens! TOURNAMENT ARC!
An Onyx fan! I created him with the small in mind. I'm also really glad the rival sticks out! Glave's a real jerk, but he's our jerk.
and the consensus of the reviews say we love him-
And you noticed that, hm? In this AU, getting a guild mark stings for a bit- but it's not a good idea to overwork where you got it. It's like getting a tattoo really really fast. Trace definitely abused his arm, so it should've stung a lot more than normal.
But, the complete numbness he suffered?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I dunno, lol. Maybe he's just scrawny.
Synopsis…
The country of Floria is a peaceful grasslands, where many sorts of people have chosen to make a living. The growing vegetation makes for beautiful gardens and sceneries. However, due to this, it's very expensive to own land there.
Many guilds have made their mark here, but our tale focuses on the town of Veritas- a porting town placed on a river.
Next Chapter: The Pre-Eliminations begin.