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"Are you sure you want to leave already?" Flora asked as she scribbled over a sheet of paper, glancing quickly up at Akino. "We still have plenty of paperwork that needs to be done."
"I'll come in early tomorrow," Akino responded as she walked towards the front door. "I need to take care of this. Its bothering me."
Only a little bit of time had passed since Jak had left the WGC, taking his massive debt with him after the receptionists ensured the youth was back to full strength. In that period, Akino and Flora had continued to do their jobs as receptionists such as filing reports, rescheduling exams, and helping out other adventurers and Rift Hunters who constantly roamed in and out of the WGC's main building. The work never stopped coming in and there was always something to keep the desk workers busy until they were finally able to switch out with the night shift, the afternoon shift having taken over by the two of them.
That being said, Akino hadn't been able to concentrate on her work nor had she been able to even think clearly. For the past hour or so, Akino's train of thought had been circling on repeat, running through the final few moments of Jak's trials like a broken record. Though the Elven woman had taken every action possible in ensuring the kid was alive and healthy, albeit with a massive debt, she couldn't help but feel largely unsatisfied with the final outcome, allowing the scumbag prick of a temp examiner to emerge unscathed while Jak had been the one to suffer.
The entire incident had been the fault of the stand in examiner Ceon Mapel, had been his and his alone. Akino had replayed the footage of the final trial over and over again and each time she felt that there was quite literally no way that the redhead should've failed. While she was aware that the agreement signed by the examinee Jak Yanda prevented Ceon from taking responsibility for nearly killing a newbie, giving the same examinee a failing score due to either bias or personal reasons wasn't something the WGC condoned. When Ceon had been given the title as temporary examiner, the WGC had only taken into account his ability and disregarded his personality altogether, which Akino believed to be a flawed part of the system. If they had taken the time to review his reputation like Akino had, they would've quickly found out that Ceon was a rude individual who never bothered taking orders and didn't play well with others, especially those of higher ranks and stations.
"You do realize that there's not much else we can do right?" Flora asked rhetorically as she set down her pen. "I'm just as upset as you, but we're just receptionists and the rules written by the WGC are absolute. Our hands are tied."
"So you're saying I have to sit here and just accept it?!" Akino rebuttaled as she released her grip on the front doors handle.
"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying." Flora leaned back in her seat, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she continued talking. "Ceon Mapel is a temporary examiner, and a noble on top of that, and will leave the WGC after today, allowing the original examiner to return once again. In addition, Jak Yanda is, by all accounts, a mere child in a sea full of individuals who try out for these trials. The WGC as a whole will simply write it off without giving it a second glance, even if it was the fault of the examiner."
"But thats just-"
"Idiotic? Retarded? Completely nonsensical? I agree. However, you have to realize that the WGC manages thousands of branches, including the ones that have been established inside the Rifts." Flora let out a sigh as she stared Akino dead in the face. "They're not gonna care about one measly kid, even if that kid does possess some immense physical talent. He's a mere drop in the ocean at the moment and the most the WGC will do is to cut Jaks debt and give a portion of it to that joke of a Rift Hunter. They won't pass the boy because, as far as they're concerned, he can just wait another three years to take the trials again."
Everything that Flora was saying made perfect sense and Akino couldn't find a single point in which to argue. Sure she could bring up the fact that hiring Ceon was the WGC's fault and they should take responsibility, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. The World Guild Center hardly ever got hands on when it came down to small things they could simply sweep under the rug, refraining from any interference as long as its reputation wasn't at stake. In this particular case, they wouldn't even bat an eye at the incident and would simply make Ceon a sort of scape goat if it came down to it. The young redheads verdict wouldn't change and Jak would still have to wait 3 years before he could try again along with still being saddled with an enormous debt.
"Isn't there ANYTHING we can do?" Akino questioned loudly, no longer caring about the few adventurers and Rift Hunters walking in and out. "There has to b-"
"What do you want them to do Akie?" Flora interrupted, her tone unnaturally serious. She had an irritated expression on her face, but it was clear that all the intense frustration wasn't directed towards the elven woman. "Remove his debt? That wont work as it was the examinee who took it. The WHY and HOW don't matter, and they cant push the full blame onto Ceon due to the signed agreement Jak made before the start of the trials. The boy knew what he was getting into. You want him to pass? They won't do that either as I've already explained. So, all that said, what do you want them to do? Your hearts in the right place Akino, but you're far too nice for your own good. I just don't want you to make any rash decisions you might regret."
"Tch," Akino spun around and yanked open the door. "Forget it. I'll do it myself."
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Jak wasn't able to sleep peacefully that night which was a given considering everything that had happened. No matter how much the youth tossed and turned, he failed to pass out, his mind continuing to race a mile a minute. From the newly acquired debt to the failed attempt at the trials, Jak was far too wound up to even sit still, forced to wallow in his own thoughts and contemplate his own actions.
Self doubt, frustration, disappointment, despair, a virtual whirlpool of emotions that refused to leave. Jak had done his best to bottle the feelings up and to shove them aside for the sake of those who believed in him and had helped him grow, but he had only managed to stall it. After knowing that all the years spent learning and training for the moment he could step into the ranks of the Elemental Rookies had been for nothing, he had been ever so close to snapping. At the dinner table, he had barely managed to hold himself together, only keeping his boiling emotions in check with the power of his own will.
Even now, it was all Jak could do to keep from breaking down, his own thoughts strangling him as he attempted to get some sleep.
WHACK!!! WHACK!!
The blunt end of a metallic staff was slammed into Jaks gut, not even a sliver of warning prior to it as the young man immediately sat up, only to be smacked again in the forehead. There was some pain but it quickly dissipated as Jak tossed his blanket to the side, leaping to his feet whilst barely dodging another staff strike as it slammed down right where the youth had been laying. Lifting his legs, Jak slipped through another series of thrusts aimed at his ankles.
"That was rather rude," Jak complained as he quickly made an attempt to evade the next barrage of attacks. "I don't recall agreeing to a sparring match Mako."
"Shut up and fight," Mako said as he thrusted the staff towards Jaks unguarded throat. Even though he was hitting the majority of his strikes, the young redhead didn't seem to be fazed by much of it. "Dont just talk. COME AT ME!!"
"I'm really not in the m-"
Jak was silenced as one of the thrusts hit him on the side of the face, causing him to bite the inside of his own cheek in the process.
"Okay, now its personal," Jak exclaimed as he took a fighting stance, ready to vent all of his emotions out. "You picked a fight and now you're about to get one."
"Shut up and bring it ya redheaded moron," Mako pulled his staff back in, taking his own stance.
Jak leaned forward onto the tips of his toes before blasting forward with insane acceleration, ripping up the carpeted floor beneath his feet as he lunged towards the blue haired youth. Mako spun out of the youths way, whacking him on the back of the head as he retreated, quickly putting some distance between the two of them. Jak recovered siwftly before changing directions, a look of determination and frustration painted upon his visage as he threw out a punch, aiming for Mako's solar plexus.
Mako batted the fist away with a strong swing of his staff, quickly following it up with a full powered swipe to the redheads ribcage, a spot he had left completely open. The blue haired youth was fully aware of just how much damage Jak could withstand so he didnt hold back even a little as he sent his longtime friend and rival rocketing out of the bedroom door. The door had already been wide open from when Mako had first entered, leaving nothing to halt the youths fall as the young redhead went flying, falling all the way down to the first floor.
Quickly following after, Mako sprinted towards the open door, leaping off the railing, completely ignoring the stairs. With staff held high, he aimed to nail Jak in the head the moment he made contact with the tiled ground, smashing his head and finally knocking some sense into him.
Jak however had other plans as, just when he touched the floor, he pushed himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the descending metallic pole. Pieces of shattered tiles flew everywhere, one even almost hitting the redhead as he rolled onto his feet, crimson hues zeroing in on Mako.
"And you were so close," Jak said playfully, straightening up until he had once again taken a stance. "Such a shame that it didn't work."
"That's fine," Mako shot back, twirling the staff. "I'm just getting warmed up anyways."
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Bam! Crash! Slam!
The sounds of fighting echoed throughout the area, shattering the tranquil atmosphere surrounding Hadok's three story tall manor as two figures came bursting out its large front doors. On the inside of the homes spacious main room, one could see busted tiles, upturned furniture, and shattered concrete walls, pure destruction having been left in the wake of the two mids ensuing spar.
At this point, Jak and Mako had been fighting for around five minutes, five minutes of nonstop combat in which both fighters gave it their all. Neither one of them look even remotely tired as they rocketed across the length of Hadoks large front yard, attempting to hit each other along the way. The neatly trimmed, lush green grass was blasted apart with each missed hit, every blow causing small chunks of earth to be dislodged and concrete pathway to be broken off. Nothing was held back as the two went back and forth, each striving to get the upper hand against his opponent.
"Come on Jak," Mako called out as he backed up, attempting to gain some more distance from the pursuing redhead. "I thought you were better then that."
"Say that after you win," Jak shouted back as he struggled to keep pace with the retreating blue haired youth. In terms of pure speed and reflexes, Mako had him thoroughly beat, of which made it difficult to get in close and land any sort of solid hit. "All I can see is your talent at retreating."
"And all you do is attack," Mako countered as he sidestepped another of Jaks punches. Using the reach of his staff to his advantage, the blue haired adolescent followed up the dodge with a hard swing of the strong metallic weapon, whacking Jak in the side of the head with all of his strength. "The only thing you ever do is rely on your overwhelming physical abilities, pushing forward without utilizing any sort of skill or finesse. It's what you've always done!!!"
The two of them exchanged another series of attacks, teeth clenched and fists tightened as they moved further away from the manor, leaving a small trail of upheaved earth in their stead. Mako continued to evade Jak whilst striking from a distance and the redhead continued to pour on as much pressure as possible, tanking the blue haired youth hits one after the other.
"Who cares about how I fight?! I've always done things this way!! This is how I deal with my challenges and it's always worked for me before!!" Jak put on a burst of speed, attempting to close the small gap betwixt him and Mako. Taken by surprise, Jaks opponent barely had time to raise his staff to block before receiving a full powered punch from the redheads small fist. Mako was sent flying backwards, only stopping when his back slammed into a nearby tree. "You dont get to criticize me when you still have yet to prove that you're better then me."
"I.....am.....better than you," Mako coughed out, prying himself off of the tree and pulling himself back onto his feet. "At least, I'm not the one wallowing in my own damned pity."
"What?"
"You heard me. Don't pretend you didn't." Mako wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, once again taking a fighting stance. However, this time, he did so without his staff. "You're pathetic. At the rate you're going, you wouldn't even be worthy of a having a second rate guild, let alone standing at the top."
"When faced with a setback, you usually push through it and knock it down with that brute strength of yours. You've always been stronger then me, always been the better warrior, and have always been the one I strived to beat." Mako darted forward, now aiming for hand to hand combat as opposed to his earlier fighting style. "So why. WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ACTING LIKE A DAMN LOSER!!!??"
Jak was too offput by Makos words to prepare in time for the up close battle the blue haired adolescent had just initiated, barely having enough foresight to raise his own guard. His mind was clouded with thoughts and emotions that were now spilling out, causing his brain to stall as Mako let off a barrage of hit. Hit after hit rained over the redhead, pushing him back and into a more defensive stance as Jak struggled to remain on his feet.
"You lost your exams!! You have an enormous debt!! You have to wait 3 years before becoming an adventurer!! I understand what you're going through!!" Mako twirled on his feet and slammed the heel of his foot into Jaks side, finally managing to break through the redheads unshakeable defense. "But doesn't mean you get to throw your own pity party!! Push through!!! Like you always do!!"
With a final kick, the young man sent Jak flying backwards, slamming into the ground three times before coming to a standstill. The night became quiet once more, a relatively peaceful silence in which even the crickets had ceased their constant chirps. The only noise was the sound of Mako's ragged breathing as he made his way over to the collapsed youth, blood still pouring from his busted lip.
"Now get up," Mako muttered, nudging Jak with his bare foot. "And dont ever let me catch you with that same defeated look I saw at the dinner table. If I see it again, then next time, I wont be so polite."
"Pft."
A small noise escaped from Jaks lips, a sound that slowly turned into a small giggle. The amused chuckle increased in volume bit by bit until, finally, the young redhead burst out laughing, a joyous peal of laughter that surrounded the area. Genuine emotion could be heard behind each and every laugh as Jak placed his arm in front of his eyes, shielding a part of his face from view. It was now Mako's turn to be confused as he watched Jak go from a downtrodden adolescent to a joyful child all in the span of half a minute.
"What's so funny?" Mako asked, feeling slightly offended, quelling the urge to kick the boy in the leg.
"Eh heh, you really thought I would stay depressed about such small things?" Jak asked between gasps of air, his laughter echoing through the yard. "You really think I wouldn't want to be #1 anymore? THAT'S HILARIOUS!!!!"
Mako let out an embarrassed chuckle as he waited for Jak to finish, standing to the side with a smile on his face. "Well, you cant really blame me for thinking so. You're not as mentally mature as I am so I figured your failure would've hit you pretty hard."
It took nearly a full minute for the redhead to calm down, for the laughter to slowly dissipate into small, occasional chuckles. When the amusement finally cleared, Jak had to admit that he did, in fact, feel much better then when he had been lying in his bed, sifting through the events of that day. While he knew he would've been able to get over it eventually, it was thanks to Mako that he had managed to get out all of the pent up negative emotions in such a short amount of time.
"Also, what did you mean by 'next time I won't be so polite'?" Jak asked as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "You got a darker side to you that I don't know about?"
Mako smiled slyly as he held out his hand, offering to help the redhead to his feet. "I guess you'll have to test and see. Though I wont recommend it."
"Pft, even if you did, you couldn't beat me easily at my best," Jak rebuttaled as he took the hand, pulling himself up. "Today doesn't count towards our sparring totals."
"Ummmmm, yeah it does," Mako stuck out his tongue, making a face. "The total is now 8,906 total battles, 7,812 draws, 547 wins, and 547 losses. Just accept your loss for the day."
"But I wasn't even at my best," Jak complained, completely forgetting about his earlier depression. "Surely that means it doesn't count."
"It does." Mako said, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face.
"Doesn't," Jak stated firmly.
"Does!"
"Doesn't!"
"I'm genuinely glad to see the two of you are getting along, I truly am," A soft voice cut in, one that the boys knew quite well. "However, which one of you is gonna take responsibility for all the destruction?"
Neither of the boys dared to move, frozen in place with their eyes locked on each other. Sweat poured down their faces, sweat that hadn't been there, even when they had exerted themselves to the fullest. The intimidating aura that had hid itself so well now appeared behind them, causing an irrational fear to appear deep within their cores.
"I guess you guys want to go through my training again," Hadok said, a sadistic grin on his face as he lifted the two kids by the collars of their pajama shirts. "Don't worry. I'll train you all up right."
"No, I'm good," Mako muttered softly, eyes glancing away from the towering Rift Hunter.
"Yeah, I'll pass," Jak mumbled.
"Too bad," Hadok said gleefully. "Ill show you what the consequences are when you break something of mine. I'll work you to the bone, my dear students."