Rei clenched his fist to reaffirm himself, then entered the intimidating outpost, only to see four other children, three boys and a girl.
"Wilbur's replacement is here...yay." said the oldest-looking boy, who was putting on chain mail and black leather armor. He was slender and scrawny with pale skin, with a scar under his left eye and whip marks that could be seen on his back before they disappeared under the chain mail.
"He's just a farm boy it looks like. He won't even know how to use a sword, not to talk about passing the tests." said a boy lying on a bed, polishing a dagger. He was the shortest of the boys, only taller than Rei. He had already worn his armor and seemed to be waiting for the rest.
"You guys are too negative. He'll at least make good Direwolf protection. It'll take a while before they can eat through him." said the third boy, who had just woken up. He had short brown hair and light brown eyes and was relatively neat compared to the others. He was right in the middle when it came to height and his skin was a dark cream, an oddity in this region. He was the only one smiling, though he was wearing only a pair of boxers.
The girl stayed silent, huddled in a corner. She had black hair reaching her upper neck and yellow eyes that shined like a wolf's, with black painted markings around said eyes. Her height was just average among them and she had a scratch scar on her left arm. She looked like an animal, though she was already in armor.
"I'll introduce you to the squad." said the brown-haired boy.
"Tall and scrawny over there is Gars Argent. He tends to hate... everything. But he's reliable. On the battlefield, he's a monster. The guy polishing the knife is Espoir Morte. He's a master of concealment. We usually just distract them while he takes out the targets. I'm Pierre Résoudre, I usually wear full body plate armor to defend these morons." he said, concluding the boys. And the girl is Töröl Mayln. She's from the Agrios clan... our resident demon. Just call her May though."
"So what's your name?" asked Morte, spinning his dagger in his palm.
"...Rei Dragã.," said Rei, who was now stared at by all but May.
"You're a Dragã? As in one of the knight families that founded the Vanguards?... I don't buy it." said Gars who had finished wearing his armor. "We'll have to test that. Put on some armour and get ready for your entrance exam."
Rei saw some armour on a bed that he now assumed to be his, and proceeded to put it on, with great difficulty. He was being eyed by May, who was now wearing metal claws the length of a dagger.
"Pick your weapon," said Morte, kicking a box over to Rei. "How'd you get so many..." said Rei, looking at the mountain of iron in front of him. "It's from exterminations and...dead squad members....now hurry up and pick!" exclaimed Morte.
Rei hastily looked at the box and began searching for a weapon. He found an iron short sword with a little rust at the tip and took it, deciding it was the least ruined.
"Finally. We depart at noon tomorrow and we'll be given our quests by the head officer. Until then Gars will teach you how to use that." said Morte, Gars letting out a smile.
"This'll be fun." Gars said aloud.
Sometime later, the two could be heard clashing blades, but Gars was simply defending Rei's simple strikes.
"A sword isn't a stick you moron! Don't just swing it without reason!" shouted Gars to an exhausted Rei.
"It's time," said Morte, behind him was Pierre in full-body black armour and May with her claws shining bright.
"Tsk. Come on, 'Dragã'." said Gars, who sheathed his sword and walked to join the others. Rei picked up his sword which had been knocked away by Gars a few seconds ago and followed the group.
"Today's task. Try not to die." said a knight as he handed over a sheet of paper to Morte. "Understood Sir!" said all but May and Rei.
"I can excuse the Agrios but what's your excuse boy?" said the knight. "...I'm new," replied Rei.
"Don't forget next time. Respect will help you live longer." said the knight, walking away with a scowl.
"It's an extermination. A one-eyed imp is eating sheep on a farm. We've been asked to intervene." said Morte. "This will be your test Dragã."
"It is just an imp. I don't see why he can't do it," said Pierre. "Good luck!" he said, patting Rei on the back. "Anything else?"
"A one-eyed ogre is on its way to Sitári. It's leading a few imps and floating eyes... Seems Wilbur's killer is on the move." said Morte. "If you manage to kill the imp on time, hurry up and join us in Sitári."
Rei nodded slowly and departed for the imp's location. May watched him walk into the distance with a look of concern on her face.
Blanche Farms was a normally sublime place, where an elderly gentleman lived out his days with his aging wife. They had servants who would tend to the farm and villagers would occasionally lend a helping hand. Known for their clean wool, they had been major suppliers to the fabric industry.
Then an imp decided to settle on the farm. It had huge arms and small legs, a single tail located at its backside, a ripped-up rag on its crotch, and was about the size of a human child. It had a single eye in its forehead, a big pointed nose and teeth that would take a hundred years to fix.
While it looked like it could be chased away with a broom, it easily caught and carried sheep when it was hungry. It had become a nuisance. "And that is why your assistance is required." said a servant to Rei.
The boy was led to a barn which reeked of blood and corpses. The servant walked away as Rei opened the shed, to see sheep bodies everywhere. He moved cautiously, trying to make as little noise as possible. Then he heard voices.
"You left me to die, Rei... you left me on the ground crying..."
"For all your talk of becoming a man, you sure failed when the situation called for it."
"To think my son would be so pathetic. All he could do was cry while his friends burned."
"You weren't even smart enough to come to your father first...I could have lived!!!!"
Rei fell to his knees crying as he heard these accusations. He curled up into a ball and stayed like that.
Then from the shadows, the imp came, its singular eye glowing an ominous pale blue. It inched closer to the boy prepared to bash his skull in. He reached Rei and raised his arm, prepared to have tonight's dinner, smiling to himself as he imagined the taste of human flesh.
Then metal claws protruded from its head.
"Imp not for trainee," May said, as the imp dropped dead. She threw its body over her shoulder and then looked towards Rei, before picking him up in a maiden carry, her gaze not judging his sobbing form.
"Home," she said as she carried Rei away from the scene.