Laerton took a seat in an old rocking chair. Her room was littered with junk and trash, which was more piled on than the junkyard outside.
Already, she had a can of beer open. It was actually her third one, and as she lazily rested, she stared up at the roof, watching her ceiling fan go in a loop.
"Great. Three new recruits." She took a swig and let out a heavy sigh. "You've got to be shitting me. I knew I was going to get one after Gray found that stupidly strong mutant, but I never dreamed two people from the Knights exam would take the test and pass." Her teeth clenched slightly. "Why now? How long is left? Five years? Less? What a joke."
She could feel it. Something was coming. Something big. People feared Phoenix Flight, constantly saying its members died, but that wasn't true. Normal members actually were able to live for quite a while. It was always the captains who died early. Vlad was proof of this since he had been in the guild for over twenty years now and survived, despite having bad luck. This was because his version of the curse was also one of the slowest-acting ones and still hadn't even reached A1 yet.
The reason people thought the members also died as quickly was because of one small fact… There was a pattern. One that only Laer and a few others were aware of.
A captain would die early due to a fit of bad luck, and then the next captain would be fated to die along with their entire guild.
The last captain of Phoenix Flight died when Laerton's very own blade sliced his head off his body, and she inherited the position. When her curse reached the peak and it was time for her to go, she wouldn't be going alone.
Everyone in her guild would be going with her, and yet again, Phoenix Flight would be coming to an end.
That made Laer wonder. Why did the king place two recruits within her ranks? He knew of this pattern. Was it because the recruits were both strong and would be nurtured well enough within her ranks? No.
It was because he saw this as the easiest way to get rid of two obstacles.
"Davi Hawker. Mary Lot." Laer spoke the names softly. "What the hell did you two do to piss the king off this badly?" Just then, Laer heard a loud yell, and she sighed and sat up in her chair. She turned her head to look out the window. "What are those idiots doing now?"
"Falco, do you really have to do this?" Clause asked. "Ragna or Tea are usually the ones who test the recruits out."
"They aren't here, are they?" Flaco called out, a large grin on his face. The dark-skinned man began to stretch, shaking his arms and legs. "Someone's got to teach these two the pecking order around here."
"Why am I going first?" Olivia winced.
"Got to take out the weakest link first," Falco smirked.
"Who says I'm the weakest!" Olivia complained.
"I'm pretty good when it comes to sensing mana." Falco gave a nod of his head. "I'm willing to bet you have a weak core and no stats that are even of grade S. Honestly, it's kind of weird that you managed to make it into this guild. We're a bunch of losers, but even among us, you feel like trash."
"Falco!" Ghost frowned. "That's going too far."
Falco shook his head. "No. What's going too far is the way she looked at us all. Coming in here with those eyes filled with hope." Falco scowled and let out a soft growl. "It ticks me off. She doesn't belong here. Why the hell did the core place her in this shithole?"
Falco had made good on his promise of wanting to see what she and Davi could do. He took them both outside and around to the center of the junkyard, where a makeshift arena stood, forged out of scrap and other parts. It was sort of like a wrestling arena, with railing around it that had an elastic border.
Most of the guild members had followed Falco out to it, but some decided to stay behind. The ones that followed were Pock, Olem, Ghost, and Clause. Miranda, her brother Gormay, and Vlad, as well as Mama Herta, all stayed inside the train, out of view. Laerton also wasn't around, likely in her room getting shitfaced.
Falco seemed to have had a grudge since the moment the two of them showed up. He had put Davi in a chokehold and then challenged her to a fight right out of the blue.
At first, Olivia had been rather excited to see all the people. She expected things to be a lot worse, but the guild itself was relatively calm besides the scene she walked in on. Most of the people seemed nice as well, like Ghost, whom she already considered a new friend. Clause was also kind, and Olem had fully healed her. Falco, Miranda, and Vlad were the only ones she had a bad opinion of so far.
All in all, Phoenix Flight wasn't what she had been expecting. At first, she had been freaking out, but there was nothing that could be done. She was in the guild, and leaving wouldn't do anything, so why bother? Then she learned about the fact that you could survive ten to twenty years, and that brightened her mood up by a lot.
The rumor and horror stories were always that the members of the guild were dying constantly. Some of it seemed to be greatly exaggerated, though. If she got to be a Knight for twenty years, then she honestly didn't care if bad luck would be what took her out. All that mattered to her was reaching her goal.
She just wanted to be a Knight her father could rely on and one who could thank Evelyn for saving her. She also just wanted to help Davi and anyone else who was in trouble. Surely, even someone as useless as her could do that much right?
The others were outside of the ring. Davi and the others watched, none looking too happy, yet they also didn't step in. "Does this match really have to happen?" Davi asked.
Olem let out a soft hum, his metal creaking as he folded his arms. "Falco isn't so bad, but he's also hot-headed and annoying. That said, I would like to know how strong you and that girl are. Ms. Lot was her name? I got a good idea seeing your cores, but a mage truly only shows their worth when they're on the battlefield. Even a simulated or fake one like this arena."
"We're all a bit curious." Pock chuckled sheepishly, his zippers jingling. "The last person in our guild who passed the Knight's exam was Clause. Ragna and Tea also both passed the exam, but that was over five years ago. The rest of us all got in through trials since we were criminals or mutants that did something the kingdom didn't agree with. We need to know what level you two are at so we can figure out how to send you on missions."
"You guys actually do missions?" Davi questioned. "I was told most of you sit your asses down and don't do anything."
Olem let out a loud snort. "Those of us who are strong do. We've earned our place and busted our asses off. Doing quests is for the new generation. We don't get traditional missions often since they rarely send us anything, so most of the missions we do are ones we steal."
"Steal? You can steal missions?"
"Yep." Ghost chirped. "We overhear a rumor about a dungeon that some other Knights are planning to do, and then we go and do that dungeon first and take all the treasure inside! Oh, but don't tell the kingdom we do that; they'd make us pay taxes, and none of us do that here."
"I'm going to fit right in." Davi nodded. "I love this place."
"You don't look all that phased," Falco called out, ending Olivia's thoughts. "Are you ready?"
Olivia gave a nod and drew her wand out of the sleeve of her clothes. She gripped it tightly and got ready for whatever Falco could throw at her. "I'm as ready as I can be, I guess. This is just a sparring duel, right? So is it till first blood or blackout?"
"We'll go until someone gives up or can't fight anyone," Falco stated, and he casually cracked his knuckles. "I have a feeling you'll be knocked out in one punch."
"You think that?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "I'll admit, I'm not really sure how good I am. I think I'm still bad, but I must be pretty good if I ended up in a guild at all. Most people who took the exam didn't even end up in Phoenix Flight, so I have to be stronger than them, right?"
"Not necessarily." Clause spoke up. "I've taken the test as well a few years back. The core usually takes in votes, but this year was different. I saw the livestream. The core itself decided. It would determine which one is best suited for you, if any at all. I can see why it placed someone like him in our ranks," Clause gestured to Davi. "Honestly, he seems like he's already a Mutant. You, though, are weird… We're the guild of odd ones, yet you're not odd at all."
"That's right." Falco pointed to Olivia. "I hated that look in your eyes and that feel of your mana. You're too normal. I bet you were freaking out when you first saw a bunch of mutants, right? I hate that you're here because you just don't fit in at all."
Olivia opened her mouth to say something but held her tongue. What could she say? Part of what Falco said was false, but part of it was genuine. Most mages were scared of becoming a mutant, and she was no different. The idea that she'd slowly lose herself and become a twisted monster freaked her out. She had been scared of Garon, and her heart had sunk when she saw the girls he had kidnapped had become mutants as well.
She didn't hate mutants; she didn't even fear them. She had feared Garon, but that was because he was a madman. She didn't fully understand mutants either, though, and that was something she'd need to work on. Had she looked scared when she first saw the others? In her mind, she had considered them not fully human, but that was wrong to think.
They were as human as she was.
"Sorry." Olivia finally said. "I might have gotten a little freaked out when I was still learning how this guild worked." She nodded. "I don't blame you if you want to beat me up for that. I think you're just as guilty of the same thing, though." She grinned. "After all, you're judging me already, and you haven't even gotten to know me. You claim I'm ordinary and don't belong in a misfit group like this, but honestly, I think this is the perfect place for me."
The core had looked into her mind and her memories. She might not be anywhere as weird as people like Ken or Davi were, but she wasn't normal either. A normal person wouldn't work until they nearly died or be almost as eager to join a cursed guild like this. The fact that she was here was enough.
The king likely had his reason for putting her here, and she was going to find it; that was a fact she was certain of.
"I'm ready," Olivia announced, and she began to focus her mana. "I'm going to do my best—"
A sea of red…
Olivia blinked, and she found herself once again floating in an endless sea of red, just like when she first stepped out of the final test's gate.
In the sea of red, there was a flicker of blue, and the box appeared. 'Welcome back. The Determined trait is now in effect.'
"What the hell!" Olivia felt a wave of confusion go through her. "Why did it activate?!"
The box glowed, and new text appeared on it. 'The effects of Determined are automatically triggered when you are put into a state of dreaming while having your mana active.'
"Huh?" Olivia blinked, slowly processing that fact.
It activated while she was dreaming and had her mana active? That could explain why it had never activated before. After all, if her theory was true and she did get it from Davi, knowingly or not, then she would have had it while she was in prison. Her mana was constantly activated then, and she trained her ass off, nearly dying. When she did finally collapse and sleep, it was after she ran out of mana, so the ability wouldn't have activated. That was also why it hadn't activated after that either, since she wouldn't keep her mana on while she was sleeping.
Activating mana meant you had to be aware and conscious of it and were using it to form spells or strengthen the body, so using it in her sleep was almost impossible. It'd be like trying to control your breathing and be conscious of it while also trying to go to bed. At least she assumed that was the case, but what happens when you have your mana on and get knocked out?
In the second exam, that's what happened to her. She blacked out from blood loss right as Garon was about to explode. Her mana would have still been surging since she was in combat, which was why it activated the first time. After that, it activated again when she blacked out due to the shock of being in Phoenix Flight. She likely still had her mana on since she had been fighting the king, and his core had brushed hers, stimulating her energy.
With all that in mind, for her to be here meant one thing.
"Aw man, did that guy knock me out in one blow!" Olivia whined. "I had my mana on, and then now I'm here? He knocked me out before I even figured it out, didn't he?"
'That is correct.' The box flashed, and new text appeared on it. 'Falco used the mana step ability to appear and unleash a strike with his fist. Your mana wasn't able to keep up. I recommend following the path of Mana Skin to correct this mistake for the future.'
"Mana skin?"
'An advanced form of mana control. It allows you to increase your body's defense greatly.'
Olivia scratched her chin. Were everyone's systems this talkative? It felt like she was talking to an AI or another person. "How do I learn mana skin then?"
'You'll need to learn how to properly control your mana and increase the power of your core. When this is done, you should find a suitable teacher. In my opinion, the best option for you to learn from would be the one who goes by Tori Helios.'
"The Lance of Victory!" Olivia asked in shock. "Why would she be the best?"
The box looked like it was about to answer, but it stopped. 'The Determined trait will now come to an end due to outside interference.'
Suddenly, Olivia felt as if her body snapped back. No longer was she floating in the endless sea of red. Now she was on her back, with Olem and Ghost standing above her. Olem's hand was glowing, and his healing energy went through her body. Her face felt sore, and she gently reached up and found that her lip was busted.
"What happened?" She already knew, though.
"Falco didn't hold back at all!" Ghost looked extremely annoyed and helped her sit up, along with Clause. "He punched you as hard as he could and knocked you out in one blow!"
"Just one punch." Olivia felt shame, but Clause noticed her look and shook his head.
"Don't feel bad." Clause stated. "You're a newbie. It would have been weirder if you didn't go down in one punch. Falco has been here for longer than Pock and has been working his ass off harder than anyone I know. He's got the power of a full Arcane Knight, even if we aren't considered normal Knights."
"That's not why I'm bummed." Olivia sighed, causing everyone to give her a confused look.
"What do you mean?" Olem asked.
"I knew I was going to lose," Olivia explained. "I'm not an idiot. I thought I'd do better. It makes me annoyed because I know he's going to win." She nodded to the arena.
If there was one thing she knew, it was to trust in Davi.
The others all turned to follow where she was looking. Falco stood across from Davi in the arena, and the bird man had a large scowl on his face because, unlike Olivia, Davi looked perfectly calm and collected. His eyes had been the same since the moment he stepped into the Phoenix Flight guild base. Dull. Unimpressed. It pissed Falco off even more than Olivia had, but it also made him give the new man the tiniest bit of respect.
Davi Hawker belonged here. Of that, Falco was sure.
"I bet you think you're so good because you took the test, right?" Falco asked, sneering. "You think you're so much better than us because we didn't take the Knights entrance exam?"
"Not really," Davi said flatly. "I actually don't care about the test at all."
"Is that so?" Falco gave a grin, and his mana flared. "Well, let's see if that's the case. I want to see just what you can do!" Falco's mana reached its peak, and just like he had done to Olivia, he took a step forward. Everything distorted and twisted, and it was almost as if he teleported as he appeared in front of Davi and rammed his fist straight into Davi's face as hard as he could. "Take this—"
Falco felt pain. His hand, which had punched Davi's face, suddenly ached, and he nearly groaned. Davi took the punch, and, without missing a beat, he reached out and grabbed a fistful of Falco's feathery hair.
"My turn." Falco's eyes went wide as Davi rammed his other hand right into his beak as hard as he could.