[Location: Fortress Fear - The Throne Room]
[Time: 10:00 AM]
[Event: Guild Recruitment Day 1]
The newly built Throne Room of Fortress Fear was intimidating.
Black obsidian walls, green torches, and a throne made of dragon bones (mostly fake, but nobody knew that).
A long line of applicants stood outside the blast doors, stretching into the subway tunnel.
Ryan sat on his throne, wearing his black trench coat like a CEO's suit. He spun a pen in his hand, looking bored.
To his right sat Violet, acting as the HR Manager. She was currently dissecting a mutant frog on the interview table.
To his left stood Grog, wearing a clip-on tie over his bare, muscular chest. He was the "Security Chief".
"Okay team," Ryan addressed his officers. "Remember the criteria. We don't want heroes. We don't want nice people. We want freaks. We want people the other Guilds rejected."
Violet looked up from her frog. "Like psychopaths?"
"Managed psychopaths," Ryan corrected. "Send in the first one."
The heavy doors creaked open.
Applicant #1: The Knife Guy
A man walked in. He looked like a porcupine made of steel.
His jacket was covered in knives. His pants had knife pockets. He even had a knife in his hair as a hairpin.
He didn't walk; he clinked.
He stood before Ryan. His eyes were intense.
"I am Blade," the man said, his voice deep and gravelly. "I kill people. I want money."
Ryan looked at his resume.
"It says here you were fired from the 'Iron Fist Guild' for... chopping the vegetables too aggressively?"
Blade nodded solemnly. "I hate bread. It is too soft. I must cut it."
He pulled out a dagger and sliced the air. Swish. "The texture offends me."
Ryan exchanged a look with Violet.
"Okay... can you fight?"
"I can cut a fly's wings off in mid-air," Blade said. "And I can make a julienne salad in 3 seconds."
Ryan's eyes lit up.
A warrior who can cook? That was valuable. The current cook (Grog) only knew how to burn meat.
"You're hired," Ryan stamped the paper. "Position: Head Chef and Assassin. Pay is 50k a month. Just... don't cut the tables."
Blade bowed. "Thank you, Master. I will go sharpen my spoons."
Applicant #2: The Squirrel Whisperer
A young girl walked in. She was barefoot and had leaves in her hair.
She looked around the room, whispering to the air.
"Shhh... they are watching."
"Name?" Ryan asked.
"Luna," the girl whispered. "The squirrels told me you have good snacks."
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Squirrels? We are underground. There are no squirrels here."
"They are everywhere," Luna widened her eyes. "They are in the walls. They know your secrets. They know you sleep with a teddy bear."
Ryan froze.
How did she know about Mr. Fluffington? He hid that bear under his bed!
[System Scan]
[Name: Luna]
[Class: Beast Master (Urban)]
[Hidden Talent: 'The Network'. She can communicate with any rodent, bird, or insect in the city.]
Ryan realized her value immediately.
She wasn't crazy. She was the ultimate Spy Network. Every rat in the city was her camera.
"You're hired," Ryan said quickly. "Position: Spymaster. And tell the squirrels to keep their mouths shut about the bear."
Luna giggled. "They want peanuts as payment."
"Done."
Applicant #3: The Old Janitor
An old man rolled in on a rusty wheelchair. He looked about 90 years old. He was coughing into a handkerchief.
"Hello... young man..." he wheezed.
Grog whispered to Ryan. "Boss, he looks like he will expire in 5 minutes. Should Grog call an ambulance?"
"Name?" Ryan asked gently.
"Old Man Jenkins," the man replied. "I used to be a janitor at the Academy. Cleaned the floors for 50 years. They fired me because I was too slow."
Ryan looked at the frail old man. He was about to give him some money and send him away.
But then, his [True Sight] flickered.
[System Warning: High Threat Detected.]
[Name: Jenkins]
[Hidden Class: Trap Master (Retired S-Rank).]
[Status: Bored. Extremely Dangerous.]
Ryan sat up straight.
An S-Rank Trap Master? Pretending to be a helpless janitor?
This was a goldmine.
"Can you mop the floor?" Ryan asked, testing him.
Jenkins smiled toothlessly. His eyes glinted with a sharp, youthful light for a second.
"I can mop the floor with the bodies of your enemies, sonny. I can turn a hallway into a meat grinder with a piece of string and a gum wrapper."
Ryan grinned. "I like your style. Hired. Position: Head of Defense. You have an unlimited budget for... 'cleaning supplies'."
Jenkins chuckled. "Bless you, boy. I was getting tired of retirement."
Applicant #4: The Hacker
A nervous teenager stumbled into the room. He was wearing thick glasses and holding a laptop covered in anime stickers.
He tripped over his own feet and almost dropped the laptop.
"S-Sorry! I'm clumsy!"
"Name?" Ryan sighed.
"Neo," the boy stuttered. "I... I'm a hacker. I hacked the Pentagon once."
"Really?" Violet asked skeptically.
"By accident!" Neo cried. "I was trying to download a game and I clicked the wrong link and suddenly I had the nuclear launch codes! I didn't mean to!"
Ryan rubbed his temples. "So you're a accidental genius?"
"I guess?" Neo opened his laptop. "I also hacked the Hunter Association database this morning. Here are General Ironwood's private emails."
He turned the screen.
It showed an email order confirmation:
To: General Ironwood
Item: "limited Edition Hello Kitty Pajamas (Pink)"
Price: 500 Credits.
The entire room went silent.
Grog burst out laughing. "Tiny General likes cats!"
Ryan stared at the screen. This information was useless for war, but amazing for blackmail.
"Hired," Ryan slammed the stamp. "Position: Head of Intelligence. Your first job is to find out what Lord No. 5 eats for breakfast."
The Recruitment Ends.
By the end of the day, the Suicide Squad had grown from a small team into a formidable (and weird) organization.
Blade: The Assassin Chef.Luna: The Rat Whisperer.Jenkins: The Deadly Janitor.Neo: The Accidental Hacker.50 Grunts: Random thugs and mercenaries Ryan hired as meat shields.
Ryan stood on the balcony overlooking the Barracks. His new army was settling in.
Blade was sharpening knives in the kitchen.
Luna was feeding a rat on her shoulder.
Jenkins was "cleaning" the hallway (installing a tripwire bomb).
Neo was typing furiously in the dark.
"It's beautiful," Ryan wiped a fake tear. "A family of monsters."
Suddenly, the red alarm lights flashed.
[ALERT: Urgent Quest Update.]
Neo ran into the room, tripping over a cable but saving his laptop.
"Boss! Emergency! The Hunter Association just posted a RAID ALERT!"
Ryan looked at the main screen.
[RAID ALERT: The Silent Monastery.]
[Location: Zone Y (Mountain Range).]
[Threat Level: Disaster.]
[Details: Lord No. 5 (The Sound Demon) has begun a ritual to summon a 'Sonic Banshee'.]
"A Sonic Banshee?" Ryan asked.
"If she screams," Neo typed rapidly, pulling up a simulation. "The sound wave will shatter every glass structure in a 100-mile radius."
The simulation showed the shockwave hitting the city.
Skyscrapers crumbling. Windows exploding.
And right in the blast zone... was City Central Hospital.
Where Sarah was recovering.
Ryan's expression turned from relaxed to deadly cold.
The playful recruiter was gone. The Necromancer Lord returned.
"He threatens my sister?" Ryan whispered. The shadows in the room writhed in anger.
He turned to his new Guild.
"Listen up! Recruitment is over! We have our first mission!"
The team looked up. Blade stopped cutting. Jenkins stopped mopping.
"Pack your bags, freaks," Ryan ordered, his voice echoing with power. "We are going to a concert."
"And we are going to smash their instruments."
[System Quest Accepted: The Battle of the Bands.]
[Objective: Silence the Ritual.]
[Time Limit: 4 Hours.]
Ryan grabbed his Pandora watch.
"Let's make some noise."