"I was not expecting people to show up the day after…"
"It is indeed a surprise that many arrived at Fimbulvetr."
"This is… certainly something else, Goddess…"
It was a big surprise. A group of adventurers who decided to join the Skadi Familia when originally they were thinking that maybe one or two would be interested.
Truly, those were great news but at the same time, the plan that Ragnar had in mind involved very few people but with numbers like these?
There were a total of eighteen people looking at the trio, some of them chatting while others were just eagerly waiting for any one of them to talk.
"Uh… emergency meeting! " Ragnar called out and both Skadi and Noel formed a circle with him to discuss the urgent matters. "So… what do we do? "
"Ragnar, I believed you mentioned last night that you had something in mind. "
"I do, Goddess, but nothing for… this." The Captain scratched the back of his head, taking a quick glance at the big group before returning to the other two. "Okay… I think I can do something."
"Captain." Noel produced a small paper. The blond was going to correct him but the way he said that and the look on his eyes meant that he was addressing him as the Captain of the Familia rather than his friend.
He took the paper and gave a quick read. "Huh? When did you write this? "
"Last night before going to bed." The youngling gave an apologetic smile. "I guess I got excited that sooner than later someone might join so… I was being prepared for it? "
"Well done." Ragnar finished reading the text and nodded. "Alright, let's get ready."
The preparations were done. A small box was brought to the courtyard and the Captain stood on top of it, taking another read at the `speech´ that Noel prepared.
He looked at the adventurers and took a deep breath.
"Here we go…"
"Welcome everyone to Fimbulvetr, home of the Skadi Familia. I am the Captain Ragnar Strand and…" He remained silent, looking at the paper once again. "And I am glad that a lot of you decided to come here today for the trials to join our Familia."
Amidst the group, he saw someone raising their hand and waving it. A Cat girl with an excess of energy.
"Captain, Captain, Captain, Captain! "
"Uhm… questions in a moment." The hand quickly lowered. "Right… while I was not expecting many of you to be here today, I did have a method that could actually work and to test the capabilities of everyone here. Now before I continue, let me address that we are a Familia that focuses on delving into the Dungeon, we fight monsters and work with each other to try and go deeper below."
And now Ragnar believed this was going to be the make or break deal. "As a result, in order to test everyone's abilities, the trial will be a one on one combat. No killing the other participant, just injuring. Leave the… uh… arena's boundaries and you lose." Silence afterwards. "Now, any questions? "
Many hands were raised, with the same girl waving her hand to catch the blond's attention. "Uh… yes? "
"Captain, would not that be slightly unfair? You not only have more experience in combat but also received a blessing from your Goddess. There will be a huge difference in power, don't you think? "
A lot of people were muttering about it.
She was right, while it was not impossible for someone without a Falna to beat a person who has it, there was no denying that it was a leap between the two. This would discourage many of the participants or maybe it could have the opposite effect although was that even something positive?
"That I agree, that is why the combats will be held between you. Of course this is not just decided by the winner but many other aspects, so do not feel bad if you lose your fight; many people are here to learn or may not be experts in their art so we do not want to push anyone away."
As he answered, everyone else lowered their hands. " (Guess everyone had the same worry. Do I look that imposing?)" He didn't think he was but given that his original plan was going to the Dungeon, he didn't have the time to take off the armor so he looked like he was ready to fight, same as Noel.
"Very well, if there are no more questions then let's begin." Ragnar clapped his hands but no one of the people who joined asked any more questions which only left one thing to do:
"Any volunteers? " There was silence, not a good start. Were they really interested in joining the Familia? He would have to handpick two at random but fortunately his inner pleas were answered as one person came out from the group.
"I will." The individual removed his backpack that had a lute attached to it and walked forwards towards the training grounds.
"I will too." Another person stepped up, wearing a cheap leather armor and with short sword in hand walked forward.
"Oh, I know him! His name is Alain." Noel whispered and with his nose pointed at the first one who entered the `arena´ "He was… slightly aggressive that I complimented his attire."
"He does look a bit extravagant…" Ragnar tilted his head to the other side. "Goddess, what do you think? "
"Mh? Oh… uh… I agree on the attire, it's extravagant but appearances have often misled people." Skadi added to the conversation. "I know a fair share of people who look harmless and they can be ferocious beasts."
"And what do you think of this Alain person? "
"That despite how extravagant this person can be, you should not dismiss them."
Alain grabbed the handle of his rapier and slowly pulled it from its sheath that was hanging from his belt. It was a thin blade with a fancy handle that had some decorations and that's what caught a lot of people's attention.
The duelist took a stance, one foot forward and the other one back, constantly looking to have his position correctly, the tip of the rapier aimed directly at the opponent on the other side of the arena.
The two prospects were looking at each other, one with their sword drawn and prepared for the offensive and the other aiming at his target. Both were waiting for the signal to being.
"Whenever you're ready." Came the Captain's voice and the swordsman charged forward with a scream.
The sword was above the warrior's head, ready to clash down. Neither of them wanted to kill the other but in a test like this you couldn't go soft against the other because you didn't know how they would react.
None of them were going to budge but Alain remained in his place, rapier aimed but he was not doing anything.
As his enemy got close and swung the blade, the Raccoon sidestepped and attacked the hand holding the sword. The cut was very much superficial but it was more than enough to make him drop the sword and surrender after he felt the rapier almost touching his neck.
The unarmed warrior raised his hands, signaling his defeat as the spectators clapped.
A quick demonstration in which Alain did not flinch and disarmed his rival certainly deserved praise and many in the audience agreed.
"I'm sorry, I tried to minimize the damage." Alain leaned to grab the sword to hand it to his opponent but the other one was quicker.
"Tsch, you were just lucky." The warrior spat those words like venom as they grabbed the blade and sheathed. "Weirdo…" He muttered while rubbing their hand and walking away.
This left a bitter taste to the winner, he felt that his victory was rightful and by minimizing the damage he would have a better opinion of the audience. He didn't mind the applause but the awful comment from the other person was like a sting.
"Hey, nicely done." Alain turned to see the Captain smiling at him. "Are you alright? "
"Yes, that battle was nothing."
"I meant your ear." Ragnar pointed at the missing appendage which got immediately covered.
"Ah, pay no attention to that, Captain. That injury was way before this combat even started, no reason to be worried."
"Are you sure? Noel can help you with tha-"
"No need." The duelist interrupted but smiled in return. "I'm Alain… Val'Karis."
"Very well, get back with the group, now is your time to watch your peers." With the first combat done, Ragnar turned around to face all the prospects.
"Like I said, victory does not mean you will be accepted into the Familia but it is more of a test to see how you do. Even in defeat you can show great resolve and resilience so… uh… keep up the good work! "
"Noel, I'm impressed." Skadi complimented her child. "I never thought I would see Ragnar acting like this, let alone speaking like that. Though I suppose it's thanks to you that he is able to do this."
"No… he's just improvising at this point."
Noel and Skadi saw that Ragnar tried to maintain his composure when speaking to everyone else but they knew that he probably felt nervous and tried to hide it, he was good at that.
Or so they believed…
Deep inside, the Captain was feeling a lot of pressure, he never addressed group like this and definitely never thought he would be talking in this way like a leader should do.
He didn't know much about everyone else, his assumptions were that all of them were capable people with thirst for adventure, whether their goals were similar to his or not didn't matter in the end, they all had the decency of arriving at Fimbulvetr and no one has showed any desire to back down from this test.
"Alright! My turn! " The feline made her way away from the group, hopping until she landed in the arena.
"Helloooo, people of Orario! I am Livialiska Malidi and I came here with my sister, the great mage Fanis Malidi! " She raised her hands (and her voice) so everyone could listen to her.
Noel remembered the two of them, the mage had an absurd lack of energy and wanted to be out of the way as soon as possible while her sibling was a ball of energy and it showed.
She also had a different attire this time: A yellow-brown robe that covered most of her body and revealed the legs on the front while it covered everything in the back, she had a metal with a small emblem hanging from the front, painted in a similar color to the robe. There were many hooks where armor should be but this time she didn't have anything attached.
Perhaps the most dangerous element that Livialiska had with her was on her hands, a pair of metal gauntlets that were wrapped in cloth around the wrists and the arms. Despite the small size, a trained eye could tell that those gauntlets were heavy and brought the most important question: How strong was that cat girl?
"Ah, I see you! My rival, my opponent, an honorable duel! Get ready for I will-"
"Can you please be quiet and fight? It's getting cold…" The other competitor looked angry, both daggers were out of their pockets and ready to go.
"Whenever you're ready…"
Ragnar's words were quick and so did both prospects. Unlike the last match where only one advanced, this time the two of them went forward.
The feline was happy and eager for the fight, her rival on the other hand was a bit quieter and didn't look too happy of going against a vicious rival.
Daggers went forward, trying to stab the girl but she grabbed the wrists as if it was nothing. "Huh? Oh, so you are very quick on the uptake too? Oh oh oh, how about we try again? I let you go and you try to attack me but this time I try to stop your daggers with my palms, like clapping you know? "
"SHUT UP! " The angered response came along with a kick that pushed Livialiska back. Then he threw a dagger at her but the gauntlet was able to deflect the projectile. "No one told you that you speak a lot?! "
"Fanis always says that I do but I don't think it's that much of an issue." The feline put a finger near her chin, thinking about that statement. "Oi! Captain! Do you think that I talk a lot? "
Her ears twitched, she felt something was coming her way and in the corner of her vision she saw a shadow approaching, brandishing two daggers ready to stab her.
"Heh." A funny noise was all she said.
The next few seconds felt slow to her. Her body moved to dodge one of the blades while she hunched to avoid the second one. Her right hand aimed directly at the target's belly, making their feet leave the floor.
She stopped in her tracks and as the target was falling, she used her elbow and the weight of her body to land on top of her opponent.
As the dust settled, everyone saw Livialiska sitting on top, her tail waggling and cross legged as the other person was unable to move at all.
The rest of the participants were surprised, not because of the result but because of how brutal the attacks were. Was she supposed to be a level 1? A lot of them agreed that she might be part of the Familia given her performance since no one would deny how effective she was.
Sure, fighting against another person is different from a monster but even then…
"Uhm… c-congratulations on your victory?" Rather than a statement it felt more like a question coming from Ragnar.
"Alright… uh… for… for the next battle, I'll be the one choosing." Some people were trying to hide after seeing that display and with good reason too! Therefore he felt that it would be a better idea to set the match himself.
"Let's see… you." He pointed at one person near the back. "The one with the hat."
"Aw… no…" Everyone laughed at the comment made by the girl as she slowly approached to the front.
"Oh, Captain Captain Captain! "
"No need to call me Captain yet… and what? "
"I don't think it would be fair for my sister to fight a battle like the ones that just happened." The feline stood up. "I vouch for Fanis' skills but a mage's prowess is a bit more difficult to demonstrate in a combat like this."
"Then tell me how can I test her? "
"If I may, Captain Strand."
A person stepped up from the group. A tall man wearing heavy armor and black short hair, his expression was serious or rather it lacked any emotion.
"If you want to test the mage then I can volunteer." He took out his war pick and from behind pulled the shield that was hanging from his back.
A giant shield, almost as tall as him, it was black with some decorations of a pair of axes and a shield in the middle. No one from the Familia could recognize the symbol.
"I will hold my ground with the shield, if she manages to push me away then you may consider her a success."
"That's a great idea! "
"Lili… no."
"Very well." Ragnar nodded his head. "What are your names? "
"F-F-Fanis M-Malidi, Sir…" The girl was visibly shaking, holding onto her staff for support.
"Albrecht Glig."
"Very well, take your places." Ragnar nodded and walked back with Noel and Skadi.
While Albrecht remained silent and positioned himself with his shield, opposite of him was Fanis who was still shaking and was receiving advice from her sister.
The Skadi Familia observed as the two were getting prepared, the four of them waiting for the result of this test.
Wait, four?
"So this is what you were doing this morning…"
"Yeah, finding recruits is not that easy…" A moment of silence before Ragnar actually noticed the source of that voice. "Huh?!" He turned and saw the warrior from the Odin Familia standing right next to him, her spear on her back and definitely not a happy look on her face. "Bryn?! What are you doing here?!"
"Oh, Miss Brynhildr, welcome to Fimbulvetr."
"Thank you Noel." She gave a smile to the young one and bowed her head at Skadi before putting her attention back on Ragnar. "I suppose you forgot about what you told me yesterday. Either you don't care about going up the ladder or you have severe intent on making me angry."
"No, none of those." He shook his head. "We were going to Babel but everyone showed up today, we didn't expect them and I was not going to turn them away." She saw in his eyes that he was not lying, still, that did not quell her anger. "So… how long have you been waiting there? "
"Enough to know that something was off. I can tell that Noel is not the type of person who would be late to an appointment but you on the other hand… I even arrived twenty minutes after the estimated time because I knew you would be late. But after waiting for almost an hour I could tell that something was off."
"And you decided to come here to visit? Heh, it's either dedication or you've been observing me all this time."
"You are not that difficult to read, Ragnar." Bryn's attention went to the two participants still preparing and pointed at Albrecht. "Let's do an exercise then: What can you tell about that person? "
"Him? Uh… he… he looks serious enough." The Captain tried to do a deep analysis but his responses would've been simple. Serious, silent, determined, big, strong. All of them adjectives that may be correct but it was hard to do with barely any information.
Naturally, Brynhildr was not amused. "He's a stoic person. His expression lacks any emotion which denotes being focused; his height allows him to carry that shield which means he is strong enough to fight with both a weapon and a shield. I doubt he talks much unless ordered or when an opinion is required, otherwise he will follow orders without questioning."
"See that shield? He belong to a company, whether a mercenary or a guard of some sorts, maybe protecting a noble. The sigil does not resemble to one of any Familia that I recognize but I don't think he is a level 2."
"Oh… that's… deep. What about the mage? "
"Mh… It is a difficult question. She is worried, uncertain, and perhaps even afraid that she might fail. It's easy to tell that she has a lack of confidence in herself and needs her `sister´ to push forward or at the very least keep herself stable. I am afraid that is what I can tell, her magic can be a reflection of one's self but it is not always the case so you'll have to wait until she uses it."
It took another moment before Livialiska approached the group. "She's ready, Captain! "
"Please don't call me-…" He pinched the bridge of his nose and waved his hand. "Whatever, whenever you're ready."
Albrecht braced for impact as Fanis started whispering things, no one could hear her but the feline was excited.
As the words continued, a circle appeared in front of the mage, brightening up in a white color.
The magic circle was engraved in strange symbols that were moving like clockwork while the shield remained in its position.
BOOM
A white beam came out from the circle, impacting on the shield but Albrecht barley moved, still holding the position.
"Was that it?"
"So much for a grand mage…"
"All show and no bite, guess it was all a lie."
The comments from the group were well heard, hurting words that could discourage anyone and Fanis felt them. The circle was pulsing, the energy poured into it was dissipating and any power that had was vanishing.
"Fanis!" Livialiska cried out, "Don't listen to them, I know you are a great mage! "
The words of encouragement amidst the sea of negativity were like a beam of hope.
A beam…
"Lili is right… I need to focus… isolate those thoughts… I can do it better, I am a great mage… I can…" Fanis remained quiet and aimed her staff forward at the shield.
The magic circle appeared in front of her once again, shining brighter than before.
"I can do it better… I will be better… I will show them wrong…"
A moment of silence before another sound came out, louder than before.
BOOM
An explosion of light came out of the circle and not only Fanis but everyone else felt the intensity of the beam, especially Albrecht who had to endure the attack.
His shield was still able to hold but not his ground. He was slowly being pushed back and the intensity of the spell was increasing, further pushing him.
It was a few seconds that lasted before the beam dissipated and Fanis fell to her knees.
"Wooooooooo!" Her sibling shouted, her arms raised up as she ran towards the mage. "I knew you could do it! "
"Huh… so… what do you even make of that? "
"She's definitely not material for the Odin Familia…" Bryn responded to the Captain. "But, she might fit in here, up to you." She shrugged.
Everyone was clapping, rather than giving the young mage the same awful comments from earlier, this time they were cheering for her.
"Who knows…" Ragnar muttered, seeing both Fanis and Livialiska returning to the group. "Oh, wait." He called out to Albrecht. "You were the one holding the attack, what do you make of it? "
"I'm afraid I am not well-informed in the topic of magic." The tall man replied with an almost quiet tone. "I can, however, give an opinion: The magic is strong enough for her level, which I can assume is one; her abilities compared to those of a higher ranked mage are very broad."
"I thought you said you were not well informed."
"I apologize, I may not have explained myself sufficiently. I do not know the details of magic but I can tell the differences, Captain Strand."
"Mh… very well." The Captain did not know what that meant but he could only assume.
The beam used by Fanis felt powerful, so does that mean that she will be able to use a stronger beam? Ragnar did not know much about magic either and his skill was different in terms of functionality; if anything, his axe was the closest thing he knew about magic and even then it was a mystery that was not even close to what the other participant did.
For the next hour, many more combats occurred. Some of the fights were quick while others were just a matter of who would yield. There were many interesting prospects which caught the attention of Noel and Ragnar; Skadi decided to go back to the mead hall, leaving the matters to the boys.
After many of the tests happened, they finally reached to the last combat according to the Captain. Many were tired and even some left Fimbulvetr whether out of pride or because they couldn't compete against some other adventurers.
Alain unsheathed the rapier, although he was not too eager to continue with the combat. "Is it necessary to do it? I refuse to hurt women."
His rival was quite peculiar, and most importantly: Loud.
"Ha ha ha ha ha." Came the overly exaggerated laugh.
The duelist's rival was someone who was able to amass a few victories. A human girl who used nothing but a bow and arrow, and if there was need for close combat she knew how to land a good fist.
"Perhaps it is not moral reasons why you do not wish to partake in this fight but more of an act of cowardice?!" The archer that called herself Hilda Renos had a reddish mane that moved around as she laughed. Her attire consisted of a dark brownish cloak that covered some leather armor that has seen better days due to some missing parts or the discoloration itself.
There can be a parallel drawn between her and Livialiska, although one of them had a lot of energy and positivity, this one also had just as much energy but perhaps not in the same angle.
"Hoh? Are you afraid of fighting the Duchess of the Lower World, the strongest archer that this city has seen? The grand, the magnificent, the most powerful heroine: Hilda `Marksman´ Renos! "
Silence. After the second fight she got, she kept adding new titles to herself, none of them meant anything at all.
"Like I said, I am not going to hurt you."
"Very well! Then I shall make this ordeal as quick as possible." Hilda quickly drew and arrow and fired straight for Alain.
But he would not stand there and do nothing; his wrist twisted and the rapier blocked the projectile that was aimed straight to his face.
"Let me explain better: I do refuse to hurt women. A projectile is not part of that moral dilemma."
"Hmph." The archer pouted and grabbed four more arrows. "Your insolence is duly noted, that is why you shall be punished by the Duchess! " The observers were groaning at her comments.
The arrows were fired back to back. The sound of the thin string being released with each arrow and flying straight for Alain. The clash between the arrows and the rapier echoed as he blocked each one of them.
One
Two
Three
Three deflections, but he swore he saw a fourth arrow being fired. Where was it? He moved his right foot to try and position himself for another attack but when he tried to do it with the left one, that's when he got his answer.
The fourth arrow landed on his boot, a very precise shot that was able to restrict his movement. He could easily remove it but at the cost of losing track of Hilda, she could fire more projectiles or even get up close to try and punch him.
He cursed under his breath, his eyes shifting between the archer and the arrow but his worries become more apparent when she started advancing, a malicious smile across her lips as she pursued an easy victory.
"Ah-… bother." Alain had to take a quick decision. He changed hands with the rapier and quickly swung downwards, breaking most of the arrow and then pulling his leg to quickly escape at the cost of a small hole.
By the time his attention shifted back forward, Hilda was at arm's reach. Her playful eyes did not match the apparent evil smile, but it sure matched the fist that was going straight for an uppercut to his chin.
Blocking the punch was impossible, not after he witnessed how strong she could be, side stepping was not a possibility either because of the lack of room so all he could do was just kick back on the spot and gain some space.
However, Alain expected his rival to follow up but instead she remained there, donning that annoying smile as she cracked her knuckles.
"What's the matter? " The duelist scoffed. "Not attacking anymore? "
"Despite my viciousness and my wicked ability, I do not attack those who have already faced defeat."
"Huh?!" To Alain's dismay, he looked down and noticed that he left the arena's bounds and therefore he lost. "Ah, f-…udge. Fine, you win this." He sheathed the rapier.
"As always, the Grand Duchess of the Lower World, the-"
"Okay okay, you two can return to the group." Ragnar immediately intervened and children walked forward, putting the box so the Captain could address everyone again.
He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I know that many of you may not be happy with results, some of you fought valiantly and others fell in combat. May this be a lesson to further improve yourselves to… er… improve." Noel gave a glance at the blond. "That being said, whether you passed this test or not, I still want to congratulate everyone who participated today and do not give up your dreams if you do not join the Familia…"
"Ragnar."
"Right… So, without further ado, those who have been accepted into the Skadi Familia, as per mine and Noel's decision are-"
"OI! " Everyone's attention shifted to a loud voice that came from the entrance and was slowly approaching.
The stranger was an Amazoness. A tall woman with olive skin and dark hair, she wore very exotic clothes and very revealing too, if not inappropriate for the cold. Her muscles caught the attention of many just like the blade that was hanging from her shoulder.
"I heard that a Familia was recruiting and I thought I could be the top dog in here."
"Uhm…" Ragnar and Noel looked at each other. "Who are you? "
"Theresa Latif." She looked around with a smile, admiring Fimbulvetr. "Nice place… could be very cozy."
"Excuse me, if you want a chance then you'll have to fight."
"Are you the captain? " Ragnar nodded. "Then…" Theresa removed the bag that was near the tip of the sword and let it fall to the ground, then she aimed at the blond. "I challenge you to a duel."
Weren't for the surprise appearance of the Amazoness, Ragnar would've rejected her immediately and tell her to return another day, but something told him that even if he said no, she wouldn't budge.
"And what if I say no? " Although his curiosity (if not stubbornness) made him wonder what would happen, which of course prompted a negative reaction from both Noel and Brynhildr, the latter standing away from the group as to differentiate herself.
"What? A Captain like you must be strong, rejecting a duel like this would only mean that your underlings might lose respect to you. And let me ask you this: What would they prefer? A strong leader that has nothing to fear? Or a scared one that will let them die at the first turn of events? "
There was silence afterwards along with a lot of tension. The group of adventurers that just finished fighting were discussing among themselves and some of them agreed with the woman's views while others thought it was a wrong statement.
"Ragnar, let's just ignore her." Noel advised and stepped forward. "Ma'am, if you wish to fight, then maybe you can come tomorrow and-"
"No." Ragnar stepped down from the box. "If you want a fight, I'll give you one. If I beat you, you will join our Familia."
"Oh, ho ho. Poor thing." Theresa said with a tone that bordered between seductive and teasing as she approached the blond. "You can't beat me."
This chapter clicked so well in my head but when I had to write it it was such a hassle. Either getting distracted, or just having to change the scene because I was not happy with it.
And that ladies and gentlemen is the new members of the Skadi Familia, promising recruits that may (or may not) help Ragnar and Noel delve deeper into the Dungeon. However, while fighting each other was just the first test, working together is going to be the true challenge for them.
However, an even bigger challenge is right in front of the Captain... but that will be for the next chapter.
Thanks to everyone who's been following the story as well all the favs and reviews. I know that I received comments about powerscaling and such and I can only apologize for making characters weaker/stronger, which as always might not be on par with what the Light Novel shows.
That being said, hope you have a great week and as always: See you in the next chapter!
