"I am Baul Mundus, Colonel and second-in-command of the Scarlet Mantis." The well-dressed man in the red trenchcoat lined with gold introduced himself as his high collar hid all but his dark green eyes, his dark grey hair spiked up while he wore a white shirt, pants and greaves.
"Eric Creed, new member of the Scarlet Mantis reporting for duty sir!" I saluted before blinking as the man snorted and a copy of the red trenchcoat that he wore appeared in his grasp before he tossed it at me.
"First off, we at the Scarlet Mantis do not care for your family name, only your name. Secondly, make sure you wear the coat at all times and do not worry about sweat or anything like that as the inside of it is lined with fibres that have bathed in numerous lacrima to make sure that you are as fresh as a daisy every single time. Finally…nice to meet you Eric Creed." Baul spoke with a smirk as he held out a hand and I looked at it before smirking as I put the coat on before shaking his hand.
"Captain Matteo. A pleasure to meet you, sir."
"You as well, Colonel Baul. Make sure you take care of him for me."
"Really?" I asked with an amused smile and the man laughed as Lisa rolled her eyes.
"Let us play our role as parents and worry about your safety."
"Okay. I promise I'll return in one piece."
"And I shall try my best to make sure he does…even if he doesn't want to." Baul chimed in and I sighed as Lisa giggled and nodded in thanks before I was surprised as she hugged me.
"No matter what, you'll always be that chubby kid that stole my soup from me, okay?"
"…Do you really have to bring that up?" I whispered back, but I couldn't help the smile as Matteo joined in on the hug, to which I wrapped my arms around them for a while before clearing my throat and standing back.
"Ahem! Anyway, thank you for everyt-!"
"I swear, if you do your 'Thank you for everything you've done' speech, I'm going to kick your ass!"
"…Can we just go before I get a spanking?" I asked as I turned to Baul and the man nodded as he began walking towards the car, to which I turned and gave one final smile and wave at the couple.
'Time for the new chapter of my life to begin.'
Looking out the window of the magical vehicle we were driving in, I hummed a tune while watching as the trees whisked by.
'It's the! Eye of the Tiger~ It's the thrill of the fight, risin up! To the challenge of our rival~ And the last! Known survivor stalks his prey in the night~! And he's watching us all with the eye~~!…Of the Tiger~~~!'
"What song is that?" Baul's voice knocked me from my humming and I turned to see the man giving me an intrigued gaze as I processed his question.
"Uh, just a song I made up."
"Huh, it's got a catchy tune." I blinked as the man began to mimic the exact tune I was humming, making me chuckle as I joined in before he continued to follow my lead as I hummed the rest of the song.
"You got any tunes like that one?" He asked as we finished humming and I frowned slightly before shrugging as I began humming a new one.
'We're no strangers to love~ You know the rules and so do I~!'
Do I feel bad for introducing this song to Fairy Tail? Not a single bit.
"…Why are you two humming?" General Sparda asked as I followed Colonel Baul out of the car and towards the man as he stood in front of a large castle.
Its walls were made out of a dark grey stone and the roofs out of a scarlet red wood, with gold lining the windows and the door frames while a large wall made out of the same stone with watch-towers that had the same scarlet red wooden roofs surrounded the building.
"He started it." Baul instantly threw me under the bus as he walked away, with me watching him leave in shock before turning to Sparda as he cleared his throat.
"Do not worry. You're not officially inducted into the Scarlet Mantis battalion so you don't have to worry about rules and such. However, humming of any kind is to be done at a low volume so as to not disturb anyone that is busy around you, understood?"
"Yes sir. Permission to go shout at Colonel Baul?"
"You'll fit right in. Also, permission denied. Now, follow." He said as he turned around and I nodded with a sigh as I followed after him, staring at the amused Baul as the three of us walked through the gateway and onto the castle grounds.
"Welcome to the Dreadfort, the official base of the Scarlet Mantis battalion." Sparda said with a grandiose wave at the vast courtyard and I was in awe at the numerous people patrolling and walking around while others sat in groups whilst chatting with each other.
What I did notice was the fact that while we all wore the same red coat, they all had had the sigil of a golden mantis spread across the back of the cloak with both General Sparda and Colonel Baul having the head of a golden mantis stitched onto the left breast side of the coat.
"I see you've noticed the crest." Sparda's voice drew me back and I nodded as he nodded before turning back to continue walking.
"As of this moment, there are officially 50 members of the Scarlet Mantis and one member awaiting approval. Care to guess who the one waiting for approval is?"
"So, what do I need to do?" I asked in return and he smirked before gesturing for Baul to answer.
"Basically, you're going to have to face off against one of our weaker members so that we can see just how strong you are. Don't worry, we picked someone equal to you." He said and I watched as a brown-haired man dressed in a dark coloured shirt, a pair of shorts and black boots under his coat walked towards us with a smirk.
"Eric Creed, this is Lyonel Ken and your opponent for the entry match. He has been out on 10 jobs so don't worry if you don't win."
"Eric Creed, pleased to meet you." I introduced myself before frowning slightly as the man simply hummed and nodded his head in greeting.
"Nice to meet you too. General Sparda, is this going to take long?"
"No, Ken, it is not. Why not let us just hold it here?" He said as he walked off to the side and I blinked in surprise before turning to Baul as he smirked.
"Go ahead. If you don't, the General might just decide to kick you out."
"…Hah, fine." I grumbled as I followed after them, leaving my bags with Baul as I undid the buttons on the coat and went to take it off only to look up as Sparda spoke up.
"The coat will always stay on during battles and thus, you will need to learn how to fight in it. Why not start now?" He asked with a smirk as he turned and stomped a foot on the ground.
My eyes widened as the stomp cleared out the grass around us for a few meters before he gestured for Lyonel and I to take our spots on both sides of him.
"Now, Lyonel, this is simply a match to see if Eric here has what it takes to join our group. No fatal attacks."
"Of course, sir." Lyonel nodded in agreement, but as he looked at me, I sighed as I saw the sly look in his eyes as well as the hidden amusement in everyone's eyes around us.
"Good! For those of you that do not know him, Eric Creed here was trained by former captain Matteo Adonna and yes, I do mean Matteo Adonna 'The Saint'! If he passes today's test, he will be taking a spot as a member of our battalion, but if not, he'll be kicked from the Rune Knights and barred from ever being enlisted as a rune Knight again! Both fighters, get ready!" The man barked out as he took a step back and I took a deep breath as Lyonel and I took a few steps from each other before I rolled my wrists and shoulders.
"…Begin." There was no countdown, no signal to let us know to get ready and no indication to show me that the match had started.
There was just a word and Lyonel had already crossed the distance between us in the blink of an eye with a right hook aimed at my face, my eyes widening as I barely reacted and leaned back with a spin while kicking at his side with a heel kick.
However, the man caught my leg as he spun with a drop before kicking out my other leg from under me, quickly rolling across my body as he tried to go for a leg hold.
Unfortunately for him, I saw it coming and quickly yanked my leg back while rolling myself back to my feet, frowning as Lyonel was already up with a frown as he walked in a wide circle around me.
"Not bad. Actually made me try for that one." He spoke with a smirk as he stopped and I frowned as I took a deep breath before I rushed forward to initiate the fight this time.
Coming in with a sliding kick, my hands gripped the dirt as he jumped over before he grunted in surprise and slight pain as I threw the dirt at his face to blind him.
Quickly jumping to my feet, I spun around and tackled the panicking man to the ground before wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, rolling us around as I got him in my chokehold.
"Enough!" Sparda barked out and I nodded as I let him go, letting the coughing man fall onto his side as I stood up and dusted off my clothes.
"Damn."
"Well, there goes his pride." I heard the whispered mutters of everyone and ignored them to look at Sparda, who looked at Lyonel with a slight frown before turning to me with a smirk and a nod.
"Congratulations, Eric Creed. You are now officially a member of the Scarlet Mantis. Lyonel Ken, pack your things because Eric is taking your place."
"Wait, what?!" I asked in surprise, Lyonel looking just as surprised as Sparda raised an eyebrow at us.
"I did say it, did I not? If you win, you take a spot as a member of our battalion. I never said that spot would not have someone already occupying it."
"S-Sir, this…this is just a joke, right?"
"No joke here, Ken. Pack up your stuff and go." Baul spoke up this time with a frown and I watched with a slight bit of remorse as the man gritted his teeth and stood up.
The crowd dispersed to do the things they were busy with before the match started and I watched as the golden mantis crest on the back of Lyonel's coat disintegrated before looking at the back of my own coat to see it shining proudly.
"Colonel Baul, show Private Creed here to his room and then to the main hall. We have a battalion briefing in ten."
"Will do, sir. Come on, Private." Baul spoke as he began walking away and I took one last glance at Sparda as he walked away before shaking my head as I followed the Colonel to my room.
'Well…this is most definitely how I expected my new life to turn out as.'
"I'm Alya Hunters." A happy young woman with long black hair and deep hazel eyes introduced herself with a happy smile as I walked out of my room, surprising me as I stared at her before looking at the black-haired man next to her that had the same eyes.
"I'm Alex Hunters and yes, I am her younger brother." He spoke and I just nodded while looking around to see if Baul was nearby.
"Uh, Eric Creed. Where is Colonel Baul?"
"He got called away to do some stuff so we're supposed to bring you to the meeting hall."
"…Is this going to be one of those 'initiation' hazing that the military likes to do?" I asked and their eyes widened slightly before Alya quickly shook her head.
"No, not at all! The gods know that if we tried that and General Sparda found out that everyone involved would be banished from the Rune Knights and Fiore forever."
"Yeah, the guy does not play when it comes to team work and stuff like that." Alex added and I let out a sigh of relief before gesturing for them to continue.
"Oh, okay then. Then let's go to that meeting before we're late."
"Sure thing. So, were you really trained by Matteo Adonna?" Alya asked and I frowned slightly at the excitement at her voice before responding with a nod.
"I was. Why do you ask?"
"You're kidding, right? The guy's a living legend, one of the reasons we won the war against Bosco and Ministrel."
"I know. I just know him as the old man that trained me when I needed someone to train me."
"Oh, that's…cool, I guess." Alya muttered and I smirked at her disappointed look before looking over as Alex spoke up.
"I liked how you fought against Lyonel. Efficient and aiming for victory."
"I did too, even if I do think you fought a bit dirty."
"If you're not fighting dirty, then you're not fighting at all. I'm here and he's kicked out so we can figure out for ourselves who truly won."
"A fellow believer of overestimation instead of underestimation, huh?" Alex asked and we shared an amused grin as I nodded while Alya rolled her eyes.
"Without a doubt. It's better to double-tap than it is to wake up with the person you defeated standing over you with a knife."
"Really? You two are paranoid." Alya said with a shake of her head and I snorted as Alex crossed his arms and nodded.
"Without a doubt. Rather paranoid and alive than naive and dead."
"Is everyone here?!" Sparda's voice echoed across the hall as he stood on a stage, Baul standing at his right side while most of us were standing tall and proud in front of the stage with our hands held behind our backs.
"I think so."
"Good. As of three hours ago, we have received a report of a group of dissidents infiltrating past the north-eastern border that lies between Fiore and Bosco. Our job is to go there and apprehend these mages if possible, but terminate them if it's needed."
'…I've barely been here a couple of hours.' I thought with a sigh as I heard him say that before I was surprised as the General looked directly at me with a slight frown.
"Eric, since you are a new member of our battalion, you shall be fighting from the backlines so as to not be a distraction to your fellow Rune Knights. Do not go too far into the front lines and make sure to support your fellow Knights whenever they need it."
"Yes, sir!" I nodded with a salute and the man nodded before clearing his throat as he walked away, Baul taking control as he began listing off names.
"Danners, you are the captain of Team 1. Take them to the northern side of the outpost there and make sure no one else comes through while the Jutsu Shiki experts there fix the barrier. Arreiks, you are the captain of Team 2. You will be stationed in the backlines as you need to make sure no enemy sneaks past your unit and takes out any civilians. Maverick, you are Team 3. Your job is to capture and/ or terminate any of the terrorists that came through. Private Creed, you are with Arreiks."
'So, the serious-looking guy there?' I thought with a slight frown as I nodded before the groups split up into their units, Alya and Alex joining the unit along with only three other people as well as the one in charge.
"Creed, this is Erica Danvers." Alya introduced the only other woman and the group, who had a scar running down her left cheek while her black hair had been cut down to a low taper fade.
I met the gaze of her dark green eyes before we nodded at each other as Alya continued the introductions.
"This is Danny Lycan." She said while pointing at the spiky silver-haired man with matching silver eyes, who grinned as he nodded and I smirked as I nodded back.
"This goofball here is Liam Peekwold."
"Hey, I resent that statement." The guy that appeared to be younger than I was spoke with a huff as he crossed his arms, his blue hair hanging to the back of his neck while a pair of vibrant blue eyes glared at the smirking Alya.
"You only hate it because it's true. Finally and last but not the least, this is Lieutenant Nioh Arreiks and he is probably the third strongest person of the Scarlet Mantis.
"Ranking people by their strength is a foolish way to live." The tall dark-skinned man with black curls that turned gold at the ends spoke with a frown as he crossed his arms, his gold eyes giving a disapproving look to Alya as the woman gave a sheepish smile before I froze slightly as his gaze turned to me.
Unlike the commanding presence that General Sparda had or the easygoing presence of Colonel Baul, the Lieutenant's presence felt like nothing but pure intimidation as he stared me down.
I had to force myself to not look away or tremble as I held his gaze for a few moments before the man smirked and nodded.
"Good, you'll do. Gather at the gate in five." Nioh spoke before he walked away and I finally felt the tense atmosphere disappear as I let out a shaky breath, looking at the others to see all of them were just as affected as I was.
"D-Damn. Is he always like that?"
"Only whenever he wants to test someone. The fact that you didn't pass out means you passed his test so you don't have to worry about him trying that again. Anyway, you ready for your first real battle, newbie?" Danny asked with a grin and I snorted as I shook my head.
"Not in the slightest, but I guess I don't have a say, do I?" I asked before sighing as they all laughed and we began walking to our rooms.
"Just know one thing: Don't throw up. It's hard to clean the coats."
A/N: Before anyone complains about the fact that this story has been mostly OC's, this is not only set two years before the seven year timeskip ends but I also want to do a crap ton of world building before the true story starts.
Just to clarify that part.
Also, I know that most of these chapters have just been talking, but don't worry as next chapter will be action-packed.
Anyway, check out my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories that may peak your interest. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!