After we finished eating and cleaned up the office, we disbanded for the evening. I pulled out my phone and saw it was already 8:00 PM. I headed to the train station using the map app to guide me, since I still wasn't familiar with directions in this world.
"Thank god for map applications." I muttered my gratitude as I lined up at the kiosk machine. After a short wait I got my ticket, boarded the train, and pulled up the address I had saved that morning. An hour and a half later, I arrived at my destination. The moment the train doors opened I stepped out quickly before the flood of passengers could swallow me whole.
"Good thing the seniors are approachable and dependable." Scenes from the day flashed through my mind as I walked back to my shabby apartment. Along the way I spotted a billboard featuring a man holding a beautifully crafted spear with the slogan, "We want you!"
A couple of minutes later, the apartment came into view. I went inside, took off my clothes, tossed the shirt into the laundry, and hung the pants up for another use since they weren't dirty enough to wash. I headed to the bathroom for a quick shower, dried off, changed into my home clothes, unfolded my futon, and lay down.
My phone alarm went off. I reached over, turned it off, and sat up slowly. "Is it morning already?" I rubbed my eyes until they adjusted. Once they were open, I cooked breakfast, ate, and took a bath.
"Time to go to work!" I commuted from my apartment to the Ember Guild headquarters. When I arrived at the front of the building and was about to walk in, one of the security guards stepped in front of me.
"What is your business here, sir?" His tone carried a clear air of intimidation.
"I work here. I started yesterday," I answered, not reacting to it.
"Then may I see the ID issued by your team leader?" the other guard — lean-built, steady-eyed — replied.
'Wait. Senior Ed never gave me anything yesterday. Damn it!!' My mind went into full panic mode. Fortunately, Senior Alister spotted my situation from nearby. He explained things to the guards on my behalf, and I was let through. I followed him back toward the office, but before we reached it, I stopped.
"Thank you for saving me back there, Senior Alister." I bowed.
"You don't have to bow. Just thank me normally." He pushed open the office door to reveal Senior Mike already at his desk, sorting through documents.
"Mike, where is everyone else?"
"They're in the room downstairs — training session with Senior Ed," Senior Mike replied without looking up, his hands moving through the papers at a rapid pace.
"I'll help you, Senior Mike!" I started toward my desk, but Senior Alister caught my arm.
"You need to join the training session, Arron. You're being assigned a mission today, so it's better to prepare." I followed him downstairs and walked in to find Senior Ed systematically dismantling both Senior Alice and Senior Skyler.
They got up at the same time and lunged at him together. Senior Skyler threw several balls that burst into light and smoke, and they both charged into the cloud the moment it expanded — but when it cleared, both of them were flat on the floor while Senior Ed stood calmly over them.
"Hmm, Arron — you're finally here." He turned and began walking toward me. The two seniors on the floor took that as their opportunity. Senior Alice swept at his legs while Senior Skyler twisted his body and drove an overhead punch downward. But even mid-fall, before he had hit the ground, Senior Ed grabbed Senior Skyler's arm like a pole, used it to launch a kick that sent Skyler flying into the cage wall, and landed smoothly on his feet.
The moment he landed, Senior Alice was already on him with a barrage of jabs. He parried every one of them, calmly closing the distance as he did. Once she was within his range, he landed several rapid strikes to her body, forcing her to stagger, and finished it with an open palm to the jaw that knocked her out cold.
He walked to the arena door and swung it open. "Arron, Alister — you're both up. Come in."
We stepped inside. "So, who's first?" Senior Ed asked, cracking his knuckles. Senior Alister leaned over and whispered, "If you go first, we're even."
'Is this guy insane?! I'd be finished if Senior Ed hit me at full strength. What do I do?' I quickly proposed, "Why don't we use rock-paper-scissors to decide?"
"That's a great idea!" Senior Ed nodded approvingly.
Senior Alister and I went best of two. I won the first round, lost the second, and on the deciding round I threw scissors against his rock. I was going first.
"So Arron's my next opponent." Senior Ed declared with a relaxed stretch.
'I'm dead.' I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.
"Alright — since you're new, I'll give you some win conditions. I won't move from this spot and will only use my left arm. If you manage to land a hit, push me off this spot, or force me to use any other limb, you win. And I won't use the same level of strength I used against Skyler and Alice." The handicap gave me some relief — but there was still a significant problem. I had no idea how to fight. Throughout my entire life on Earth, I had always walked away from anything that might turn into a real confrontation.
"Come at me then!" I threw a punch. He simply rotated his upper body to the side and I stumbled forward from my own momentum, landing face-first on the floor. As embarrassing as it was, I kept going. Slowly, my punches began to feel slightly less terrible — but eventually I was slumped on the floor gasping for air, nowhere close to fulfilling any of the win conditions. I gave up.
'I couldn't even touch him. It's okay, Lucas. You'll get there next time.' I picked myself up and made my way back outside the arena.
"You were doing pretty well for someone who's never fought before," Senior Alister said, holding up a hand. I slapped it.
"Thanks, Senior Alister." I dropped into the chair as Senior Ed called him in.
The fight between the two of them was in a completely different league from mine. They traded blow for blow — for a moment it genuinely looked like they were equal — but then Senior Ed's movements began to accelerate, faster and faster, until I couldn't track his attacks at all. Everything became a blur, Senior Alister's defenses crumbled under the pressure, and he was left with no choice but to absorb whatever came through since he couldn't find an opening to counter.
"Hahahaha, that was a pretty solid attempt, Alister." Senior Ed cocked his arm back and drove a hit into Senior Alister's gut, dropping him to one knee. Senior Ed waited patiently while he recovered.
Once Senior Alister was back on his feet, he shifted from an offensive stance to a more defensive one. This time it was Senior Ed who initiated — he lunged forward, and Senior Alister parried the attack and retaliated with his own. After a few exchanges, he actually managed to land a strike on Senior Ed's stomach. It didn't affect Senior Ed in the slightest. Senior Alister was the one who winced, cradling his hand from the impact.
He raised both hands. "I surrender. There's no way I'm beating you, Captain."
"Good. Knowing your limits is important — unlike these two." Senior Ed gestured at Senior Skyler and Senior Alice, still laid out on the floor like discarded mattresses.
"Good effort, Senior Alister — you lasted longer than me," I said, holding up my hand. The slap echoed through the room while Senior Ed moved to wake the other two up.
Senior Mike appeared at the door. "Arron! Your first mission just came in."
Senior Alister and I looked over the details together. The mission read: Acquire an artifact known as the Blood Rose before the deadline. You will receive 35,000 aegis as a partial payment upfront, with the remaining 35,000 upon completion. You may request a companion from the Auxiliary Department, Combat Department, or your own teammates. Time allowed: six days.
'Partial payment upfront — makes sense given how dangerous this team's work is.' I glanced at Senior Alister beside me.
"Hmm. Want me to come along? I don't have a mission today, so I can." I nodded without hesitation.
"Captain, I'm using a healing potion!" Senior Alister called out. Senior Ed gave a thumbs up without looking over.
"Thanks, Captain. Alright, Arron — let's go shower first." He patted me on the head.
"I didn't bring a change of clothes, Senior."
"Don't worry about it." He grinned. "We'll just borrow Skyler's."