I wake up, excited about my plans for the day. Today, I'll either join a team, or recruit some talented randoms to join me on my quest of enjoyment! Others might refer to it as chaotic adventures, but they're basically the same thing.
I wonder what kind of people I'll see as I bathe and get dressed. I'm not wearing the set of everchange clothes today, instead putting on a pair of black pants and a dark blue shirt. Nice and unobtrusive. Or maybe I should be trying to grab attention…?
I eat as I consider the benefits of standing out, versus my natural inclination to lurk in the background until I find something interesting.
I'm still debating with myself after I finish my food and walk out of the inn, heading towards the guild.
'If I'm recruiting people, then standing out will draw them to me. But if I stand out too much, they could be weirded out and avoid me. But the same argument could be said for joining a team. Stand out, they're interested. But stand out too much and they avoid me. And I always had trouble finding the middle-ground for those…'
I shake my head free of my thoughts, realizing that I was zoned out the entire walk to the guild. Entering it, I see that it's more crowded than usual. Even the bar area. Looking over, I see that they've also set up a board with four names on it.
Mage Battalion. Hand of Jakins. Crimson Hearts. Pillar of Somewhere.
It seems that people are making bets about whatever these are, with Crimson Hearts and Pillars of Somewhere being the obvious favorites.
I tap a girl nearby on the shoulder, by her robes I'd peg her as a mage. Seeing her turn towards me, I nod at the board. "Famous companies?"
She nods, her face filled with excitement. "Yeah! We're taking bets on who manages to recruit the most rookies this week. Though there are a lot of things that can change it up."
I nod along. "Like how many mages are applying during a given week?"
She gives me a thumbs up. "You catch on quick! Like you guessed, each company has their own rules for joining them. Mage Battalion will only accept magic oriented people. Hand of Jakins requires you to follow their god. And Pillars of Somewhere require their members to keep the city as their home base."
An ear twitches as I quirk an eyebrow. "And Crimson Hearts?"
She shrugs. "They're kind of a wildcard. Sometimes they'll take the weakest people, sometimes the strongest. Their only conditions are that: 'Your heart burns with the crimson flame of adventure!' Honestly, as long as someone applies to them directly, they get in."
I look at her strangely. "Didn't you just say that they only take people with that weird requirement?"
"Yep. But the secretary of their company understands that they need people, so anyone not recruited by another company or staying unfettered will end up there."
"Thanks for the info. You with Mage Battalion?"
She beams at me. "You got that right! How'd you guess!?"
My tail sways in bemusement. "You have their name floating off the back of your robes…"
She blinks at me. Then she tries to turn around to get a look at her back, pulling the robes so she can see better. "Damn it! I knew there was something weird going on when the other companies were giving me mean looks. I bet it was Jin! It's totally the kind of prank he'd pull…"
I leave while she continues cursing out Jin, heading towards my favorite (and only) Receptionist. Seeing her at her usual spot, I grin. "Really, what are you always reading?"
She jumps a little and fumbles her book. Catching it before it falls, she breathes a sigh of relief before looking at me. "Oh, Seka. What might you be doing here?"
I roll my eyes when she ignores my question, but move past it. I doubt it's important anyways. "I was hoping you could let me watch the guild evaluation for the new folk. I'm hoping to either start my own team, or join one."
Hearing my request, she nods her head in approval. "It's always a good idea to find trustworthy allies as an adventurer. I don't think that it will be a problem if you were to watch the evaluations with the company representatives. Oh, but make sure not to antagonize them. They've been entrusted with making administrative power for their applications. So if you end up wanting to join one of them, the representative can block you."
I nod. "That shouldn't be a problem. I'm great company!"
The dead-eye stare she gives me goes ignored, my thoughts already on what kind of fighting styles I'll be able to see.
𝌡𝌡𝌡
So why am I standing on the viewing platform with a wand glowing dark blue pointed at my face?
To sum it up…
"The god of chaos is an evil deity! Those who follow him are criminals of the most heinous degree."
'Hey! I wanted to do a mental flashback of how I ended up like this! No manners at all. Really.'
Anyways, the bald mage in shifting blue robes doesn't move the wand away from me even when I step to the side. Behind me, Receptionist is looking panicked, shooting pleading looks at the other three people with us.
Seeming to take pity, a woman in pitch black armor places her hand on the mage's shoulder. "You know the laws. 'No discriminating against others due to race, gender, or religion.' Do you really want to break the law in front of some of the most important people in the city?"
He doesn't react to her warning, keeping the wand steady on me. "We both know that the Mage's Battalion is too powerful for the city guard to threaten." He sneers. "I'd love to see them try and take me in."
"They wouldn't be the ones taking you in." A short man with a red heart sewn into the chest of his leather armor steps forward, his gaze fierce. "Not only would attacking this young lady be against the law of the city, but also the law of the guild. Have you forgotten the peace agreement for this event?"
Still, the man doesn't react. But a few moments later, he lowers his wand, scowling. "Very well, I will honor our previous agreements. He shoots a glance at the woman who hasn't spoken yet, an elven woman. "What about you? Do you have anything to say about her?"
Silence. And then… "She has yet to do anything to us. Nor have I heard of her causing any trouble. Killing her now would be unjust."
Giving a tight lipped nod, the bald mage decisively turns around, looking down upon the same evaluation area I was tested in. Ignoring him, I turn my attention to the two who helped me, going into a half bow with my hands clasped.
"I thank you for the assistance. I had no idea that followers of Soahc were looked down upon like that."
I ignore Receptionist's shocked look, as well as the notification that my *Acting* skill had grown a level. Me being polite isn't an act, damn it! Though the extra XP is nice. When did it get to three?
From my position, I can see the hand at the woman's side twitch, but she doesn't make a move with it. "It's no problem, really. And it's not that people think of them like that. You know what they say: A few bad apples spoil the bunch. And your god isn't really one who gives off good feelings."
The short man, who I'm guessing is a dwarf by virtue of his tremendous beard and mustache, snorts. "Don't go sugarcoating it for her. People blame your god for everything that goes wrong in their life."
"Stub a toe? Your god's fault for causing something to distract them. Step in horse shit? Blame your god. Get stabbed by your yandere girlfriend because you cheated on her? Your god sent that woman to tempt the man."
He waves his words away. "But I doubt anyone came here to listen to an old man like me prattle on about gods. The important bits are about to start." So saying, he looks down, where the guild workers are leading a group of people in. Everyone else follows suit while my tail sways in confusion in time with my twitching ears.
'Is nobody going to ask about why I'm here? I didn't think that it was common for somebody to join them to watch the evaluations. Was I wrong?'
…
'Well they're ignoring me, so I guess it's more common than I thought.' Coming to a conclusion about the situation, I follow their example and watch the people below. Unaware of them watching me out of the corner of their eyes.
AN: Hey all, just wanted to throw something out. I'm on the fence about Seka making her own team, or joining one. So I felt like tossing an idea out there. If I get 5 patrons at the requisite tier or above on my p*treon, I'll do a poll for it. Note that the decision WILL have a major effect on the storyline, as well as my plans towards the end of the first volume, whenever that will be. Anyways, if you're interested, join C-Rank or above. If you aren't, don't worry about it. Oh, but I do recommend waiting until after new years, so you don't get charged back to back. And the decision will probably be made on ch 41.
Link is in the creator's thoughts below this.