Dean took them to the back of the Freelance guild towards two sets of stairs. One led upwards to the second floor while the other led underground. Dean chose the latter, stepping into a dungeon-looking hall lit by lanterns at the bottom of the staircase.
The walls themselves were constructed of stone blocks, but instead of being smooth, they looked chipped and irregular as if they had been weathered down over the decades.
At the end of the hallway was an archway. Dean stopped after walking through it, turning to look at the three of them who had yet to cross over. "Once you are given a rank by one of our instructors, you'll receive your official Freelance license and be allowed to take jobs up to whatever rank you earn. I am required by law to inform you that any bodily harm during the test which you receive will not be treated by the guild. Our instructors are all veterans of combat and also trained thoroughly to avoid causing unnecessary injury. By passing through these arches, you agree that If any permanent or lethal damage is taken, the blame lies solely on you."
Aatazaz and Alessia seemed indifferent to the dangers his words held, walking through the arch without a single doubt. The boy lagged behind slightly, swallowing hard. "Wait hold on, about that last part-" The boy was unable to finish his sentence as Alessia pulled him forwards.
"Come on, it'll be fun! I'm excited to see what rank they give me." Alessia's excitement made it impossible for the boy to resist. With a sigh, he followed her.
They walked for a few more seconds before entering a huge circular underground colosseum. The arena which people fought in was about five meters below them, sectioned off with a railing to prevent people from falling in. The north and south sides of the colosseum each had stairways which connected the floor they were on to the battle arena.
All around the colosseum, restaurants and bars were open to accommodate those watching the fights, as well as offer protein rich meals to the hungry fighters taking a break. The air was filled with the sounds of chatter and clashing steel, echoing off the walls of the underground chamber.
People leaned over the railing, looking at the fights that were happening below. Dean walked up to the railing, peering down into the arena.
Standing in the center of the ring, a singular person stood surrounded by three other warriors. The three warriors held their weapons tight, their stances stiff with anxiety and anticipation. Meanwhile, the one surrounded was relaxed. She had feminine facial features and stood around five and a half feet tall, armored from shoulders to toe in heavy plate and chainmail. Her long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, leaving her striking gray eyes visible to them. She was flat as a board, making her easily mistaken as a pretty boy rather than a maiden.
She wielded nothing but a regular steel long sword in her left hand, lazily swinging it through the air with boredom. At first glance, she seemed completely uninterested in the upcoming fight. However, the moment one of the three warriors took a step forwards, her sword froze. Her eyes became focused, zoning in on the movement like a hawk spotting a mouse. The sudden glare caused the warrior, a man, to fall backwards onto his ass with a terrified yelp. This carried on for a few minutes, causing the spectators to begin laughing and berating those below.
"Come on, my two year old daughter is more brave than you twats!" A big brutish man yelled.
"Why don't you three go back home to suckle on your mum's tits, you seem to have a knack for acting like babies!" One robed spell caster jeered.
"Get over yourselves and fight already!" One skinny roguish warrior yelled.
The three warriors still refused to move. The insults and mockery turned into a chant, repeated over and over.
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
Eventually, one of the three warriors let out a roar of defiance and charged at the girl. His two allies followed, pushed to the edge by the crowd. The chanting died instantly as everyone watched with interest.
The same phenomenon occurred. The woman's sword froze and her eyes flicked between the three combatants like a lion picking which gazelle to chase. Every time they felt the weight of her eyes upon them, they would squeeze their sword a little harder who let loose another roar to hype themselves up.
When one of them finally reached her, he swung his great sword down with both hands. However, before his weapon could even touch the earth, he felt all the air in his lungs be forcefully expelled by one strong punch. The man took a step back to prevent himself from falling over, his face reddened with anger. His humongous size was the only thing that prevented him from being blown off his feet. Without taking a breath, he forced himself to raise his sword in a defensive stance, only to realize she was gone.
In the time that he needed to take one step backwards, she had already covered the distance between him and one of his allies. All he could do was watch as she easily disarmed their berserker, sending him flying with a front kick to the chest.
The two remaining warriors charged towards her, but it made no difference. Without even using her blade, she was able to deal with each of them before the other could manage to help, turning what should have been a one versus three scenario into three consecutive one one one's. In less than a minute, the three men lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily while bruised and battered.
The lady at the center pointed her sword at each of them with a bored expression, ranking one at a time. "One, two, and one. Congratulations on joining the Freelance guild."
The three of them got up, ashamed. They exited the arena, climbing the stairs at the north side of the arena with their heads hung low. They expected to get even more verbal abuse, but instead, they were applauded. All around them, people cheered.
"There we go! That was good, you got over your fear and charged straight at her. That's a start." One man spoke before downing the rest of his beer.
"Your swordsmanship needs work, but you pushed yourselves out of your comfort zone. Well done." Another added, patting them on the shoulder.
"I remember when Isabella kicked my ass years ago, them's were the days . . ." An old warrior sighed with nostalgia.
The three warriors looked confused and flustered as they were surrounded by kind words and encouragement. Similarly, the boy and Alessia were just as confused. In both of their minds, they were wondering what caused the sudden tone shift. Dean, upon seeing their curious expressions, explained.
"Most of our Freelancers hate cowardice above all. Weak people can't help but be weak, but you have to have courage."
Aatazaz nodded his approval. "A respectable opinion."
Dean smiled before returning his gaze to the arena as he called out to the woman below. "Instructor Isabella! It's nice to see you."
Isabella looked towards the sound of the voice, but her face turned into a frown as soon as she saw it was Dean. "What do you want, Womanizer?"
Dean opened his mouth, but no words came out. For a few seconds, he was completely silent. Before he could talk again, he was interrupted.
"Well, if it isn't the playboy himself!" One nearby female Freelancer spoke with disdain.
"O- oh, hey Lilith, I-I didn't mean—" Dean stuttered.
"Shut up." Lilith turned her head to look at Alessia. "Hey, if this guy ever tries anything funny, don't hesitate to kick his ass." After she was done speaking, she gave one more withering stare at Dean before walking off. Many other female Freelancers gave him a similar look. Dean felt himself break out into a cold sweat.
Lilith's loud remark caused a stir among the onlookers. While all the attention was on Dean first, once people saw the animal ears and tails, their focus changed to Alessia and Aatazaz. Their reactions were noticeably more tame and controlled than those on the street. Aatazaz became alarmed as he focused in on one conversation in particular.
"Strange, what are beast-men doing this on this side of the mountain?"
"I remember when I used to work in the Confederation, you'd see tons of them near Afonte. I swear that place is just one big slum."
"It might be because of the coup."
"Coup? What coup?"
"It's a secret, I only know 'cause I have some eyes and ears in those jungles of theirs. Come closer, there's too many people around."
Once they began whispering, Aatazaz was unable to pick up their conversation over the crowd's chattering. However, their words still made him shiver. If word got out that Alessia was the last White Tiger, dozens of Canidae assassins would be on their tail in no time.
Aatazaz was running out of time. He needed to get ranked, earn some money to house the two Uthar, and activate the magic necklaces before it was too late.
Dean let out a long sigh and responded to Isabella with a meek voice. "I have three new Freelancers, ready to be ranked. I'm sending them down now."
Isabella nodded, not even bothering to look at Dean. Without another word, Dean led them over to the northern set of stairs and gestured for them to walk down it. He tried his best to smile at them, but under the circumstances, he couldn't make it look real.
"Good luck!" Dead said with a fake smile.
Aatazaz was indifferent and walked down to the arena without a word. Alessia looked away, visibly disgusted. The boy studied Dean for a moment. Dean's face blossomed with hope that one person would have pity on him.
"You should try to keep it in your pants." The boy then walked down to the arena. Dean was ready to cry.
***
The moment Aatazaz set foot into the arena, Isabella began analyzing him. Her eyes traveled up and down his body, noting the impressive physique, his stance, facial expression, and the weaponry he carried. He was stoic as a veteran poker player, not allowing a single emotion to show on his face. His eyes were locked on hers, staring her down. From her naked eyes alone, she gave him high marks. However, the moment she examined his magic power with her soul, she was blown away. Never before had she seen such dense, overwhelming magic power. She had fought against a few Zaohin's in her time, but his spirit surpassed anything she had ever seen. Disciplined mind, sturdy body, incredible magic power . . . this guy was dangerous.
"Strong." Isabella murmured with a predacious smirk.
Aatazaz was silent as two more people walked out from behind him. The first was a girl who stood around six feet tall with white hair, blue eyes, a generous bosom, and a long sword at her waist. She had well trained muscles underneath her soft looking exterior. Her stance wasn't bad, but definitely not good. She had an excited look on her face and her eyes kept looking at everything around her. Perhaps this was the first human settlement she had visited.
The second was a boy, around five foot ten with a scrawny but lean build. He had black hair and eyes with no weapon that she could see. He had a strange aura to him, one that she couldn't read into. It was similar to Aatazaz, but much darker. She could tell that the reason Aatazaz allowed no emotion to show on his face was because he had disciplined his mind, but the boy was different. To her, it looked like he genuinely didn't have a single ounce of emotion. His eyes were scanning his surroundings, just like the girl, but there was no excitement or curiosity to his eyes. They were just . . . empty.
Two other things stood out about him, the first being that the boy was riddled with scars from neck to toe. Burn marks, long cuts, short cuts, pierce marks, and other things she couldn't even recognize— every inch of his skin was covered by some sort of scar. The variety was stunning. Just what in the hell had he been through to earn all these scars? Thinking about it made the freelance veteran Isabella shiver.
The second thing about him which made her extremely worried was the fact that she couldn't get a full read on his magic power. A spell was surrounding his soul, preventing her from looking any deeper. The moment she had used her mana to feel him up, the spell had reacted, hiding his soul from her. It was strange, like the spell itself had reacted to her.
But that wasn't possible. Spell's couldn't evolve themselves and change. They weren't people, just masses of mana wound together in a special way.
Even though she couldn't fully read how much or how dense his magic power was, the spell alone would have made any mage's jaw, even the most novice, drop in amazement. The spell didn't leak any magic power, meaning that anyone who didn't look for it would have no idea it existed. She only discovered it because she had tried to look at his soul's magic power.
It was by the far the deepest, most complex, perfect piece of mana craft she had ever seen.
Isabella usually liked the idea of fighting strong opponents, iron sharpens iron after all, but this boy was an exception. If he could wield magic equal to the spell protecting his soul, she wouldn't learn a damn thing from the fight. It would just be a one sided massacre, like trying to sharpen iron with a stick. The stick would just get destroyed.
That mysterious spell, his dead eyes, and his scars all pointed to him being an extremely dangerous individual. He was someone who should be put on a watch list before he toppled a country. Isabella was about to contact her superior when suddenly she saw his eyes glanced over at the girl and softened. It was very minimal, but instantly, Isabella was relieved. At least he showed some kind of human emotion. He seemed to have a crush on the white haired girl.
"Are we supposed to do something?" Aatazaz questioned, making Isabella snap out of her amazement.
"I apologize, I zoned out for a moment. I'll face all three of you separately. Girl, you first. Whenever you are ready, come at me. You two step outside the arena and wait your turn." Isabella pointed at Alessia, before turning around and walking to the other side.
The moment Aatazaz and the boy stepped out of the arena, leaving Alessia alone, the crowd above began to chatter loudly.
"Isabella is going to fight the girl in a one on one? This is gonna be good!"
"We haven't gotten a good one on one fight since last Monday, I've been itching for a good fight."
"I wonder how a Zaohin will fight, I heard they're pretty ferocious."
All the eyes on Alessia made her tap her sword repeatedly. Her heartbeat quickened. She was alone in the arena, surrounded by potential enemies.
Any one of them could be an assassin . . .
Alessia stopped that train of thought before it consumed her. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Alessia pulled her sword out of its sheath and whispered "Potentia." The blade's hilt glowed with white light, slowly spreading across the entire length of the sword. It wasn't bright like a fire, rather like the glow of the moon. Dim but visible.
"Zaohin spirit's simplicity will never cease to amaze me. For humans, we have to use some natural law to increase the sharpness, whether that be surrounding the edge with air or making the blade vibrate, but you just send your spirit into the blade and it becomes stronger and sharper naturally. Amazing." Isabella praised her before casting a spell of her own.
"Sine pondere." Isabella said. Alessia couldn't see any visible change, but she definitely sensed mana circulating inside the blade. Alessia took a mental note and forgot about it.
"Come, prove yourself." Isabella pointed her blade at Alessia, taunting her. Alessia obliged, spirit surging through every inch of her being. Her muscles expanded as she rapidly gained speed. In a second, Alessia cleared twenty meters and found herself directly in front of Isabella. Alessia thrusted her sword forwards, aimed at Isabella's chest.
However, Isabella parried the thrust, making sure not to take any damage. Alessia's eyes widened. She hadn't expected the attack to work after seeing Isabella's previous performance, but was still taken aback that she was able to stop it so easily. As Alessia was trying to retract her own blade, Isabella took a step forwards and brought the palm of her hand to Alessia's stomach.
"You're off balance." Isabella muttered.
The next thing she knew, Alessia was in the air. She landed on her back with a thud, but used the momentum in a backward somersault to land on her feet. Alessia raised her blade, expecting Isabella to press her advantage. Instead, Isabella was calmly walking towards her. Each footstep was measured and in control, free from any anxiety or worry.
"Fast, but sloppy." Isabella commented.
Alessia began concentrating her spirit at her feet, building up power. If Isabella was going to underestimate her, Alessia would use the extra time to her advantage. When Isabella came within ten meters, the ground beneath Alessia exploded as she launched herself at the woman. A few spectators behind Alessia got showered with dirt and debris.
Alessia's blade was a blur, but Isabella was faster. With a clang, Alessia and Isabella's blade locked together. The impact sent vibrations throughout her entire frame. Isabella's feet got pushed a few meters back, drawing two lines in the ground. Despite her best efforts, Alessia only succeeded in pushing Isabella back slightly.
That was the fastest Alessia could go and Isabella had taken it in stride. Alessia let out a grunt of frustration.
"Your moves are telegraphed, too predictable. Adding more speed won't matter if I already know where you're going to be." Isabella explained as they pushed against each other, the two blades releasing an ear-tingling scraping noise as they ground against each other.
Alessia scrunched her nose and frowned with frustration, Aatazaz had told her those same words for years now. Alessia broke the deadlock by summoning all the spirit into her body that she possibly could and then channeling it into her blade.
"Potentia!" Once again, the sword glowed white light, but this time it was much brighter. With a shove, Isabella's blade was cleaved in half. Isabella's eyes widened, the amount of spirit coursing through Alessia's blade was ludicrous, until she took a closer look at her blade.
It was a blade made from Hypodianite. Weaponry made by Hypodian smiths were capable of withstanding much more magic power than regular steel.
"What is someone like you doing with Hypodianite?" Isabella questioned as she tossed her broken sword away, genuinely curious. Only governments or rich nobles could afford to buy such expensive weaponry.
"Less talking, more fighting!" Alessia ground her teeth, annoyed by Isabella's nonchalance. Aatazaz would always take her seriously, even if he handi-capped himself somehow.
Alessia shot forwards, fueled by the desire to spite Isabella's relaxed attitude. Isabella decided to respond with a counterattack that caught Alessia completely off guard. "Globus ignis!"
A golf ball sized ball of fire appeared in front of Alessia. By the time Alessia recognized the danger, it was too late. The ball exploded, throwing her backwards and sending up a plume of smoke. With her beast-like hearing, Alessia heard Isabella speak in an undertone from the other side of the smoke.
"Let's see how good your defense is."
Isabella suddenly appeared from inside the smoke, another blade in her left hand swinging at her in a horizontal motion. Alessia barely had any time to raise her own blade to block. When the two blades met, the impact was surprisingly light. For a moment, Alessia had hope that she could overwhelm Isabella with brute strength, but only for a moment. In the next few seconds, her hopes were dashed.
Isabella let loose a flurry of attacks, endlessly raining down blows upon Alessia. Without the ability to do anything about it, Alessia found herself being driven back further and further. All she could do was try and stay alive, play defense, and wait for an opportunity.
However, she never saw one. Isabella was spinning around Alessia, dancing as she weaved each attack into the next. Even though Alessia was stronger and faster physically, Isabella's technique was spectacular. Small cuts and nicks began to appear all over her body, but they all stopped bleeding after a few seconds. Alessia got the feeling this was Isabella's way of saying 'I could kill you at any time'.
Alessia resolved herself to simply wait Isabella out; to turn the duel into a game of stamina. However, she felt her back suddenly bump into something hard. Alessia's eyes widened as she realized that her back was now literally against the wall.
She had nowhere else to run.
Isabella's sword accelerated towards her face. Instinct took over Alessia's brain, causing her to close her eyes and cover her face with her arms.
However, Alessia didn't die. Isabella diverted her blade at the last second, slamming her sword into the wall with enough force to make the ground tremble. Alessia tentatively opened her eyes and saw her reflection on the shiny steel blade about an inch from her eyes.
"Pretty good. Your technique needs work, but your physical abilities are amazing. Alessia, rank four, congratulations on joining the Freelance guild." Isabella yanked her sword out of the wall with her left hand, extending her right towards Alessia.
Alessia frowned and reluctantly shook Isabella's hand, four out of ten the best outcome. Isabella then looked towards the staircase and yelled "Next, the big man!"
Aatazaz obediently walked out into the arena, war axe in hand. As Alessia passed, he grabbed her by the arm and whispered to her. "You did good, wipe that look off your face."
Alessia begged to differ but she knew better than to argue.
With that, Alessia exited the arena where she was once again able to breathe freely, and immediately collapsed onto the stairs. She breathed deeply, trying to calm her racing heart.
"You looked amazing out there." The boy commented as Aatazaz and Isabella began talking about something which he couldn't hear over the crowd above.
"I feel so dumb." Alessia sighed.
"Why?" The boy asked, shifting his gaze from Aatazaz to her. Alessia began performing maintenance on her sword to busy her hands.
"She said the exact same thing Aatazaz tells me, I'm all speed and no skill. Yet, every day, I try to improve my technique and get nothing out of it. I feel so stupid, stuck at a wall I can possibly figure out how to climb." Alessia vented, her hands vigorously wiping the dirt off her weapon.
"I know exactly what you mean." The boy said softly.
Alessia looked up at the boy and suddenly felt guilty. "Sorry, I know that compared to you my problem seems easy."
The boy shook his head. "Just because mine is worse doesn't mean yours is easy. It's not a competition." Then, his voice got quieter as he looked away from her face. "You can talk to me all you want. I'm your servant, remember?"
Alessia smiled. "I guess, but I still feel bad being the only one venting. To make it fair, you have to talk to me about your problems as well, alright?"
Alessia offered her hand towards the boy, and after hesitating a bit, he returned the gesture. The boy's cheeks were so red, Alessia was about to ask if he was sick when suddenly Aatazaz returned to the staircase.
"You're up, boy." Aatazaz stated bluntly.
The boy looked up at him with raised eyebrows. The boy was ninety percent sure that all they did was talk at the center of the arena.
"Really? You're done already? Did you guys even fight."
"I simply told her I didn't want to cause a cave in, that's all." Aatazaz winked at them.
Alessia giggled. "What rank did you get?"
"Five, I asked her not to rank me too highly so as to not garner any more attention." Aatazaz explained as the boy got to his feet and began walking towards the arena.
"Do your best." Aatazaz said, patting him on the back as he walked by.
"Good luck!" Alessia cheered as he stepped foot into the arena.
The boy gave them a nervous smile before he walked up to the middle and stood before Isabella, who looked at him with a serious expression. She held her sword with both hands, her knees bent slightly, ready for anything.
The boy got the feeling he was being overestimated.
"Are you going to fight without a weapon?" Isabella inquired, making the boy suddenly feel very stupid.
"Any chance you have a spare sword?" The boy scratched the side of his head.
Isabella laughed, reaching into a bag slung around her waist. "Yeah, sure. Here." Then, she pulled an entire steel longsword from a bag the size of a small dog.
The boy caught the sword, his mind blown away. He looked at her with wide eyes. Isabella cocked her head to the side. "Someone like you wouldn't be amazed by a simple dimensional space item?"
The boy smiled nervously. "Someone like me? I don't understand."
Isabella suddenly looked like she had an 'Ah hah!' moment. "I see, you're just like the big man, you want to avoid as much attention as possible. I understand."
"Um, sure." The boy said, not bothering to correct her.
"Well, the big guy showed me his mastery over spirit by conjuring fire. I can't just give you a rank for nothing, you gotta show me something." Isabella instructed.
"Could you give me an example of 'Something'?" The boy questioned, feeling the weight of the steel sword in his arm as he waved it around slowly.
"Anything. Show me something you're good at." Isabella replied.
The boy nodded after a moment, having made his decision. The boy charged forwards, pitifully slow. It took him five seconds to reach Isabella, which was a lifetime for advanced swordsmen. In those seconds, Isabella was looking at him with a frown as if disappointed. She easily side stepped his downwards swing, parried a thrust and countered with a riposte. Isabella made sure to slow herself down to give him a chance to dodge or block.
The boy was unable to do either, suffering a small wound on his sternum. If she had not pulled her sword back at the last moment, she would have accidentally skewered him. The boy stumbled backwards for a few seconds before balancing himself.
Isabella's face furrowed into a frown once more. Even if a mage's physical abilities weren't that special on average, even apprentices could enhance themselves with bursts of wind to speed themselves up. He did none of this, using only his physical abilities.
His technique was quite good, having minimal wasted movements and employing good counters, precise footwork, and a competent use of his weapons.
However, his technique couldn't make up for his horrible physicality. The boy was extremely lean and skinny, like he had been starved for months. Isabella could see the beginnings of muscle forming on his skeletal frame, but he still had a long way to go before he could be any good as a fighter.
A few drunkards with knives could give him a run for his money.
The boy approached her again, except this time his technique was nowhere to be seen. He recklessly charged at her, open to all kinds of attacks.
Isabella accepted his challenge, stepping forwards without even raising her sword. She would land one good punch to his chest and knock the wind out of him. As Isabella raised her fist, the boy suddenly threw his own sword at her.
Isabella hadn't expected that and quickly knocked it off course with her own blade, but in that time, he shot forwards with his right hand grabbing her wrist while his left leg pushed off the ground to kick her in the stomach.
Isabella's eyes widened. In just one exchange, he knew her sword technique was much better than his own and tried to catch her off guard.
He was a smart cookie. Unfortunately for him, he was completely outclassed in grappling as well. Isabella was well versed in all types of combat, that was one of the reasons she had been chosen as an instructor.
Isabella quickly dropped her sword and grabbed his leg before it could land, yanking him forwards to knock him off balance. By the time her steel sword hit the floor, the boy was completely at her mercy.
The boy's eyes widened. She smiled and spoke in an undertone. "Good plan, but don't underestimate me."
Then, she shoved him backwards five meters before he crashed into the ground with a loud thud. Isabella began to calmly walk towards him, but surprisingly, he immediately got up and took multiple deep breaths.
He recovered quickly, not phased by the shock of having the wind knocked out of your lungs. Isabella nodded, impressed.The boy a step forwards to attack again, but gasped as Isabella appeared right in front of him.
"No, no, it's my turn."
Then, just like with Alessia, Isabella began to throw a storm of attacks at the boy. She purposely slowed herself down enough for him to have a chance, looking slow compared to Alessia's fight. To the boy, though, it was like he was in a hurricane of steel. Even though his mind could easily perceive every single attack, his body was too slow.
He had to erase all unnecessary movement, parrying each blow in a way that transferred into the next. Isabella grinned as she realized that he was getting sharper, but not faster. The more she pushed him, the better his technique got.
It was incredible to behold.
Isabella had to wonder, was he a genius mage or a prodigious swordsman? Or maybe both? She had to know just how far his technique could go, so she began to gently increase the speed of her attacks. Just as she had with Alessia, she had to be careful not to cause him too much damage. Anytime her blade came into contact with his skin, she would pull back, only leaving a scratch that bled for a moment.
On top of keeping himself alive, he also seemed to stay aware of his surroundings. He wouldn't just back up in a straight line, he would add a step to the right or left to curve himself back towards the center of the arena. Whether he realized it or not, he was keeping himself from hitting the wall of the arena as Alessia did.
Once again, he proved himself to be quite the smart cookie.
After five minutes, Isabella reached a speed that was almost triple his own. Unable to keep up, the cuts began to rapidly increase. Even so, he stayed focused. He wouldn't even flinch, taking the hits like a champ. Isabella was thoroughly impressed by his grit, technique, and focus. If he decided to use magic or fortify his body, he would become a fierce fighter in the future.
Having seen everything she wanted, Isabella tried to end the bout by suddenly grabbing and twisting his wrist, causing his sword to drop to the ground. She expected him to yell out in pain like all the others, but he didn't even flinch, immediately bringing his knee up to her stomach without missing a beat.
Did this little demon even feel pain?
Isabella caught his knee and easily lifted him off the ground with one hand before dropping him onto his back. The boy scrambled to his feet but not before he heard Isabella speak.
"Enough. I declare this fight over, you've shown me enough."
The boy nodded, offering his sword back to her. Isabella waved his hand away. "Keep it, I got dozens of 'em. As for your rank . . . one. I know it seems harsh, but where you start is irrelevant. It's all about where you end up. Congratulations on joining the Freelance Guild."
***
Somewhere on the second floor of the Freelance guild, one man sat behind his desk while overlooking two papers that had recently been brought to him. The man was bald with a gray beard, his face wrinkled with age. He had a large build, not quite as imposing as Aatazaz but still impressive in his old age. His eyes were blood red and deadly serious, like a death row inmate waiting for their execution. His gray eyebrows were furrowed into a frown, just waiting for their opportunity to fall off his face. He tapped the files with his fingers and spoke to the woman beside him.
"And you are certain they weren't lying?"
Rebecca the receptionist nodded. "They held the truth stone and confirmed their applications and it did not glow. I scanned them for items which could undermine the truth stone and found none before the test. I am certain they are who they say they are."
The old blood eyed man fell deep into thought for a few minutes. Across his desk was a Zaohin, like Alessia and Aatazaz, but he looked slightly different from them. His tail was bushier and his ears were much pointer. His hair was cut short and wildly out of control, like he hadn't combed it his entire life. It was a dark grayish color, not completely pitch black, but dark enough to be mistaken for a shadow during a moonless night. His eyes had a fierce yellow glow to them, similar to a wolf gazing at its prey. It was Hagor, a stygian wolf from across the mountain.
"The choice is up to you, Swithin. Those two are fugitives of the Canidae clan. We aren't asking you to do anything, the mighty wolves of Canidae need no help in hunting down their own criminals. All I ask is that when the time comes, you won't defend them. Besides, In a few days time, you'll be needing all the manpower you can possibly muster."
Swithin leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat?"
Hagor smiled like a devil. "Not a threat, but a warning. Monsters are on the horizon, Swithin."
Swithin's eyebrow twitched. "A stampede? We just had one not four months ago, you idiot. The monster populations will take at least six more months to regenerate."
"If you don't believe me, send a scouting party to the east." Hagor laughed, shaking his head. From next to Swithin, Rebecca voiced her confusion.
"Why don't we use the truth stone, sir?"
"That won't work on him." Swithin's strong gaze burned holes into Hagor, who laughed menacingly. Rebecca looked extremely confused.
"But . . . why?"
"You don't have high enough clearance to know that. You are dismissed, Rebecca." Swithin responded mercilessly. Rebecca bowed and left the room. Hagor laughed even louder.
"The poor girl can't even recognize what corruption feels like. I forgot how weak you humans are naturally. It really makes me feel sorry for you."
"Reveal yourself, Zelksis." Swithin said.
Hagor tilted his head to the side. "You got it wrong, I am no Zelksis." As if to prove his point, a grey spirit surged out of his body, flooding the room with power. The walls began to crack and tremble, but Swithin snapped his fingers. Instantly, the trembling subsided as runes began to glow on the walls. Beams of light shot out, forming a grid of lasers mere millimeters away from his body. If Hagor moved even a centimeter, he would be dead.
"Spirit and Corruption? How is this possible? What are you?" Swithin asked, his expression darked. Hagor grinned maniacally.
"The Order of Kali has taken me in. I give you this warning now, if you interfere with the acquisition of the fugitives, I will personally aid those monsters in burning this wretched city to the ground."
Swithin stood, slamming his hands on the table. "You dare threaten Krin!? In the guild masters office?! You're going to tell me everything you know, or you'll die. Move an inch, and you're dead."
Hagor snorted as his spirit turned dark, infused with corruption. "Shut your trap, old man." His spirit expanded with his body. As soon as it came into contact with the lasers, they turned black and withered to nothing.
Swithin paled.
As the guild master, he could feel every defensive spell, array, and enchantment power off as all the mana inside them was sucked into Hagor and converted into corruption. Currently, all the lights that the guild used had gone out, plunging the interior into darkness. Hagor looked at the guild master and roared with laughter.
"You idiotic humans never cease to amaze me! Hiding behind your 'complex' and 'intricate' mana. Bullshit! Mana is weak! Just like you humans! You're so, so lucky I wasn't sent here to kill you." Hagor sauntered over to Swithin, kicking him down to the ground. He placed his foot onto Swithin's skull, just as the Zelksis had done to him so many times. Hagor reveled in his power, grinning from ear to ear having so much control over another's life.
"Now that you understand the situation you're in, heed my words. Help Alessia and Aatazaz in any way, and your city will burn."
Hagor, after drinking his fill of Swithin's fear, took a step back and became wrapped up in black smoke. When it dissipated, he was gone. It took Swithin a whole minute to stand back up. His hands were shaking, but he managed to grab a communication stone and speak into it.
"This is the Guild Master of Krin, put me through to the Head Director of the Freelance Guild."