Year 20 ATA, 8th month, 1011 hours
-Outskirts, Yorome City-
??: Transmitting data of Tetra City now, stand-by to receive.
A person in a dark cloak was whispering into his comms, walking away from the city as he spoke.
??: That should do it. Ending transmission here, it seems that there are some stray cats who have lost their way. You can come out now little kittens.
The cloaked person stopped moving and faced front, in which multiple people in black uniform emerged from the corner.
??: Well well, look what we have here. Do you need me to give you directions? I didn't think Hakumai's 3rd Division would get lost so easily. I don't blame you, Yorome City is huge.
Ren: Save us the pleasantries, we're here for one simple reason. I think you know what that is don't you, Bhima? Or should I call you the former Dragon God Bhima, reincarnation of Vritra.
The cloaked person turned around to see a brown haired woman with the same black uniform as the rest but with a long black coat around her shoulders as well as a military styled cap on her head.
Bhima: As expected of the 3rd Division Commander, Raiden Ren. Your master taught you well. It's a shame he isn't here today, he would've given me a good fight. Why don't you run along and get him and maybe I'd consider waiting.
Ren: Too bad for you, he's not coming. Now hand over the stolen files and we can both walk away from this unscathed.
Bhima removes the hood of his cloak, revealing the face of a man with tanned skin, dark blue hair & golden eyes. He wore a smile that showed sharp edged teeth, as any dragon would have.
Bhima: Make me.
Ren's crest which bore the symbol of a World Class glowed, summoning a fully white katana with bright purple tints.
Ren: Come to me, Homurasaki.
She exclaimed as she grabbed the katana and went into an attack stance. The other division members tried to summon their own weapons as well but were stopped by her.
Ren: All of you stand back, you're no match for him.
Bhima: You're right about that, but shouldn't you rely on your own teammates? The logical strategy here would be to gang up on me. Don't you trust your own division?
Ren: Ironic coming from someone who betrayed the other Dragon Gods.
Bhima: Betrayed? I think you got it all wrong. I simply chose what path I wanted to take, and that meant leaving my position as Dragon God behind. Let's cut the talk, I wouldn't want to bore you with politics.
Bhima's arm emerged from the cloak, his hands covered in pitch black flames.
-Adventurer's Guild, Yorome City-
Argo: *panting*
A blonde haired man placed his hands on Sylvana's shoulder. His blue coloured eyes came into contact with her violet coloured eyes.
Argo: I finally caught up to you.. I didn't think you'd actually run every step of the way here..
Sylvana: Hehe, well looks like breakfast is on you.
Argo: Of course it is.. Anyways, let's register ourselves and head to the guild's cafeteria on the 2nd floor.
The two of them made their way into a large guild hall where many people were gathered, each in their own party. They walked up to a reception counter at the very end of the hall. A young woman with peach coloured hair stood behind the counter, giving them a warm smile. She wore a guild receptionist uniform and the desk of the counter displayed a name "Flora".
Flora: Welcome to the adventurer's guild, my name is Flora. How may I be of assistance to you?
Argo: Hello there, we would like to apply as adventurers. Will that be alright?
Flora: Yes of course, please touch this tablet and I'll have a look to see if you're qualified.
Argo places his hand on the tablet first.
Flora: Rank - Warrior Class. Magic Type - Water Magic. Weapon Type - Single Handed Sword. Race - Human. Everything checks out, you're qualified to register.
Sylvana places her hand on the tablet next.
Flora: Rank -Warrior Class. Magic Type - Ice Magic. Weapon Type - Dual Swords. Race - Divine Wolf. A divine astral hmm? You don't see that everyday. You're also qualified to register.
Argo stood there in shock hearing Sylvana's stats. Sylvana herself however seemed to be clueless.
Argo: D- Did you say divine astral?? But that's-
Flora: Y-yes I did..
Sylvana: You alright Argo?
Argo: I never knew you were an astral.. A divine one at that too-
Sylvana: Huh, I never knew that.. What's a divine astral anyways?
He made a face of disbelief and was too dumbfounded to say a word.
Flora: If I may ma'am, an astral is a broad term for people that aren't of human race including former humans as well. Such races include beastfolk, elves, merfolk, dragons, faeries and so on. Divine astrals however are astrals that are able to reincarnate no matter how many times they die. The person they reincarnate into will be able to inherit their special traits like other astrals do with the addition of a bonus ability if they possess one. Such divine astrals include gods, phoenix, divine dragons, divine giants and so on. Unfortunately divine astrals are rare to come by in the adventurer's guild but I've heard that there is someone who is one in Hakumai.
Sylvana: Ohh? Well astral or not it won't matter to me.
Argo: I don't even know what to say anymore.. Divine wolf huh?
Sylvana: Hey, don't seem so down. I'm still the same as ever..
Flora: If you two will please infuse these with your mana, this will officially register you as adventurers.
The receptionist hands them 2 black cards. They held it and began infusing mana. As they did, the blank cards began to form words which glowed. After the infusion was over, the words stopped glowing.
Flora: Congratulations, you two are now officially adventurers. You can now pick up quests from the quest board should you choose to. The quests vary from simple gathering to monster slaying. The pay depends on the specifics of the quest itself. The quest is applicable to anyone based on the quest rank requirement but the payment collection is on a first come first served basis. Meaning that more than 1 person or party can accept it at any one time and the one who completes it first will get the reward. You can collect your payment here at the reception where any of our staff will assist you. There's also a discount for adventurer's eating at our cafeteria on the 2nd floor. We do have some good food so I hope you give it a try.
Argo: We were planning to head there actually, thank you so much for helping us.
Flora: The pleasure is all mine.
He turns around to see Sylvana had already left.
Sylvana: Come on Argo! I'm starving!
She called him from the spiral staircase at the corner of the hall.
Argo: (Not again..) Well then I'll be going now, thanks again.
He waved to Flora and headed towards the stairs which had no sign of Sylvana who had already made her way up. Argo followed after and arrived at the 2nd floor. There, he saw her waving to him from a table that she had chosen. He took a seat and they looked through the menu. The vibrant atmosphere of the cafeteria was comforting, people were enjoying their food while chatting with one another. A waiter approached their table ready to serve them.
Sylvana: I think I'll get the cheeseburger set. What about you Argo?
Argo: It all looks pretty good. Hmm, I think I'll go for the pancake set.
Waiter: One cheeseburger set & one pancake set coming right up.
The waiter walked away from the table and headed on to relay the order to the kitchen. Amidst that, a man walked towards their table. The cafeteria quieted down for a while, other adventurers stared at the man who came to a stop.
??: Mind if I joined you two?
The voice came from a man with light brown hair with light green eyes who stood there next to their table. He was wearing a long black cloak with a black uniform under it and an emerald green scarf around his neck.
Argo: That uniform, you're-
Sylvana: Sure thing, have a seat! Argo's paying for breakfast!
Argo: I never said i'd pay for anyone that joins us! My apologies, Mr-?
??: Filio, Filio String. Nice to meet you.
Argo: Please do join us Mr Filio. My name's Argo, the weird one over there is Sylvana.
Sylvana: Hey, I'm not weird..
Filio chuckles and takes a seat next to them.
Filio: Just Filio will do. Are you both adventurers?
Argo: Yes we are, well we just became one actually. About 5 minutes ago.
Filio: I see. Are the two of you a party?
Argo: I guess you could say that
Sylvana: We came here to Aspheria to join Hakumai!
Argo: (He's literally wearing a Hakumai uniform, and wearing a coat so his position is quite high, why did she say that without thinking first..)
Filio: Hakumai you say, is there a reason you want to join it?
Argo: (Oh no..)
Sylvana: I want to one day face & beat the Vanquisher that's why! Argo on the other hand wants information on The Awakening.
Argo: (And she said it..)
Argo: Ahah..
Filio: Vanquisher? Ahh you mean Noir?
Sylvana: Noir?
Filio: That's his name, Noir Homura, also known as the Vanquisher. Unfortunately he left Hakumai 5 years ago. If you want more information you should ask his student Raiden Ren, who's also the current 3rd Division Commander. As a matter of fact, you're in luck. The person who asked me to come here wants me to relay a message. Raiden Ren would like you to join her 3rd division. Do you accept it?
Sylvana: Is that even a question? Heck yeah!
Argo: Wow you actually got a personal invitation-
Filio: Apparently Ren caught a glimpse of your match and was impressed. For her to invite someone personally, you must have real skill.
Sylvana: This Ren person has good taste hehe.. But what about Argo? Can he join as well?
Filio: Kenji- I mean the vice commander of the 3rd division never mentioned Argo unfortunately.
Argo: It's alright, I'll have to join through the proper way since I didn't get an invitation after all. (Speaking of which, what is the proper procedure to join Hakumai anyways?)
Filio: There's no procedure actually, we just recruit whoever is willing to join us based on the manpower we need. The criteria to join is being an adventurer but that's because Hakumai itself is associated with the guild in completing missions that are either too hard or niche for regular adventurers. It's also easier to handpick certain talents & skill sets we specifically need since we have 6 divisions, each with their own task.
Filio brought out a round device and placed it on the table, showcasing a screen through a hologram that came out.
Each division is separated based on what they're made for. The 3rd division for instance is the confrontation division. They're essentially the face of Hakumai in any general affairs. I'm from the 4th division, we're just a backup division that supports other divisions since we're like a jack of all trades sorta division. Ultimately what decides if someone can join Hakumai is if any of the commanders or vice commanders want you in their divisions.
Filio turned off the hologram & took a look at Argo.
Filio: (There's something about this guy, I can't seem to figure him out. At first glance, he seems completely normal but there's more to him, I can feel it.)
Argo: Is there something on my face-?
Filio: If you don't mind me asking, what kind of magic or weapon do you use?
Argo: Water Magic & a single handed sword.
Filio: (Seems rather normal, he doesn't seem to be an astral either..)
Filio continues eyeing Argo. He looks at the crest on Argo's hand which displays Warrior Class. He then notices a white bracelet with a blue gem on his wrist. It seems to have a few rune markings on it as well.
Filio: (Those are ancient runes! No one of unimportance should have such a thing!)
He was shocked to see it but composed himself and began speaking.
Filio: Where did you get that bracelet?
Argo: Ahh this? It's something that's passed down in my family for generations. It's an heirloom basically, not much aside from being a nice accessory.
Filio: Are you the eldest in your family? You must be from a prestigious family if you have such an heirloom.
Argo: I'm an only child. I don't think we were a well known family or anything, as far as i knew this bracelet was the only thing we really had of importance.
Filio: (That would explain why no one has seen nor heard of something like this.) Speaking of your family, are they aware that you'll be an adventurer?
Argo: My family died in an attack during the Arcana Wars when I was still a small child. Ever since then, I grew up in an orphanage in Nebula City.
Filio: I'm very sorry to hear that. If you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you get that bracelet before they passed?
Argo: I don't remember it all too well but right before my family was killed, my father attached this bracelet to my hand and said that it will bring our family good luck for generations to come. Everything after was a blur, although I do remember there being a bright light which made me lose consciousness. When I came to, both my family & the people who killed them were all dead.
Filio: (I knew something was up with this kid, that bright light.. I can't be too certain of it but the bracelet having ancient runes on it must be related to that. At any rate, I can't let this fall into the wrong hands. It's just a gut feeling but then again, I've always been right. Even earlier my gut feeling led Ren's division here to Yorome.) That's an interesting story. Well I really should be heading off. Tell you what, you may not beagle to join Ren's 3rd Division but how about joining me in the 4th Division?
Argo: Really? You mean it?
Filio: Yeah kid, we could always use a spare hand. Supporting 5 other divisions isn't easy. Plus I do have a say in recruiting whoever I choose, i'm sure Morgana will have no issue with it. (I hope not..) But you don't have to decide on the spot, give it some thought over breakfast. If you do decide to take my offer, i'll be waiting for you at Yorome Port ship dock 7. As for Sylvana, Ren will be waiting for you at ship dock 8 should you accept your offer as well.
Sylvana: M'kayyy
All of a sudden, Filio, who was sitting right next to them, turned into what seemed like a bunch of emerald coloured threads and disappeared.
Argo: That was a clone made of magical threads? I didn't even realise.. As expected of a Hakumai Vice Commander.
Sylvana: So are ya coming with?
Argo: Of course! I still can't believe all that happened. It's barely even been half a day since we got to Yorome-
Sylvana: Hehe, "Fortune favours the bowl" as they say.
Argo: It's "Fortune favours the bold"..
An aroma can be smelled from just steps away. Surely enough, the food they ordered came.
Waiter: One cheeseburger set & one pancake set.
Sylvana grabs the juicy looking burger with her bare hands while having a delightful look on her face.
Sylvana: Eat-a-turkey must! (Mom always used to say this before eating and I still have no idea why she mentions a turkey)
(Keynote: Hildr says Itadakimasu since that's what her husband's culture did, which means "Thank you for the food". However, Sylvana herself mistook the word and hence the result.)
Argo: This looks delicious.
The two began chowing down on their meal for a little while.
-Outskirts, Yorome City-
Multiple clashes were heard, echoing through the outskirts. A purple blade of lightning ignited, the flashes radiating from it were blinding even from a distance.
Ren: Homura Style - Fleeting Spark !
She jumped from the side of a building and with extremely fast speeds, rams her sword right through his chest.
Bhima: Ngh-
While the blade was still impaled, she used her other hand to grab the stolen data from his cloak. Successful in doing so, she retracted her sword and jumped backwards, placing some distance between them. Right as she jumped she commanded the other division members.
Ren: Now! Bind him in place!
2 of the division members sprung into action.
Yudai: Earth Bind!
Koto: Iron Chain!
Rocks from the ground grabbed onto Bhima's feet and iron chains which were summoned which bound his arms from moving. Added on to the wound he received from the stab, he looked like he was in no position to run.
Bhima: Ngah- That hurts- Arhhh..
His face, which seemed to be in pain, shifted.
Bhima: Just kidding..
His entire body lit up on fire, the black flames consumed both the chains & the rocks.
Bhima: I'll admit, your lightning attack was too fast for me to avoid. I give you credit for that. Had it been anyone else, they'd be dead. If it were anyone else that is..
The wounds that she had inflicted on him had closed up.
Ren: Rapid regeneration, tch..
She quickly jumps in for another attack.
Ren: Homura Style - Striking the Voi-
Bhima: Heat haze! Sorry but I don't intend on playing with you kittens any longer, that was a nice little game we had there but I have to get going now. Laters..
Ren: As if i'll let you get away, hyahh-
She strikes at Bhima's position at the same fast speed as she did earlier but the hit did not land. A black flame mist covers the area around them.
Ren: Cut through the flames, Homurasaki!
She tilts her sword and cuts horizontally, dispersing the black flame mist. Vritra however was nowhere to be seen.
Ren: Tsk, he got away..