Once Endyr entered the room, everyone's attention turned to her. Six men and five women, each one emanating a certain level of danger and strength, sized her up silently for several seconds before one of them spoke up.
"Who're you?" asked the man with grey hair and orange eyes.
Endyr lowered her hood to reveal her face as she responded. "Endyr Syndrine. I'm here to hunt down some Cultists, the same as the rest of you" she stated curtly.
The man with the ratty face narrowed his eyes as he took in her youthful face and slim body. "A little girl like you wants to hunt down the Blood Coven? Ha, don't make me laugh! Someone with looks like yours would be pretty famous in Sky Cross if you were an accomplished Adventurer, but I ain't ever seen you before. So you're nothing but a newbie overconfident in their own skills."
His tone was sharp and snappy, with distaste evident in his eyes. The others in the room said nothing, but there posture showed they agreed with the ratty man. Seeing this, Endyr sighed and lazily outreached her arm, exerting her Mana. A powerful gust filled the room and bright blue light shone from her body, causing one of the two robed men to shift.
"A Grandmaster? And one with a B Rank Core too..." he muttered, though everyone heard him.
The ratty man blinked in slight shock at the sight before snorting and turning to the pink haired woman with black eyes. "Aryll, she is still a newbie Adventurer, and too young. We are fighting with the followers of an Evil God. We don't have time to babysit" he complained.
The pink-haired woman, Aryll, turned to twins with green hair. "Priestess', what is your opinion on this matter? Should we send the girl back?" she asked politely. The two girls whispered to each other for a second before the one with pink eyes spoke up. "We believe the Guild would not send someone inexperienced out way, if only to avoid slighting us. The girl can accompany us in killing the heretics."
Upon hearing this, the ratty man grit his teeth but said nothing. Silence enveloped the room momentarily before the black man with grey eyes spoke up. "Since everybody is here, then I suggest we re-introduce each other. My name is Menes Osterach. I am a Level 356 Adventurer with a D Rank Core. It is a pleasure to work with you all."
"Arnold Favonius" the bald man with green eyes spoke up next. "I'm Level 360 and have a Metal Affinity. My specialty in tanking damage."
The robed man that mentioned Endyr's Tier gestured to himself and then his companion. "Erich and Johan. We both have a Shadow Affinity, and my brother is a master at setting traps."
Erich didn't mention his Level or Core, but nobody mentioned that and instead moved on. "Himmel Sheffer" was all the ratty man said before gesturing and causing a flame to burst up over his hand. "I'm a swordsman with a Fire Affinity."
The man with grey hair and orange eyes retained his silence for a second longer before opening his mouth, speaking in a soft yet mature tone. "Kulkiri Mist. I'm Level 389 and have a B+ Core. My preferred weapon is a broadsword but I can fight in most positions. Oh yes, my Affinity is Darkness."
Kulkiri became the new subject of attention after he spoke. Darkness users were rare, though not as much as Shadow users, but it was the fact that most Darkness users were Evil Races or believers of Aenrys that caused him to come under scrutiny.
Seeing the look he was getting, Kulkiri let out a chuckle and ran a hand through his hair. This however, caused everyone to look at the black bandages covering his arm. Kulkiri also had them on his legs, hiding every inch of skin from sight. This, combined with the mask hiding his face, made him even more suspicious than the two brothers hiding in robes.
"What's with that getup?" asked Himmel suspiciously, his voice rough and unfriendly. The tall woman with heterochromia and teal hair also stared at Kulkiri, her posture gently shifting. Kulkiri raised his hands and took a step back, a chuckle escaping from behind he mask.
"Relax guys, we're all on the same team, ain't we? I have some...personal reasons why I have to dress like this okay? But don't worry, I'm a super trustworthy guy with absolutely zero ulterior motives or agendas!"
Endyr's face twitched as she listened in from the side. 'Trustworthy my ass! I wouldn't trust you around a bunch of children, not to mention involve you in killing some psycho Vampire Cultists.'
Himmel glared at Kulkiri but said nothing when he noticed that Aryll had kept her silence. With all the men out of the way, it was time for the women to introduce themselves next.
"Hi everybody, I'm Aryll. I'm an Adventurer and I have a Soul Affinity. I'm not much of a fighter and instead operate better as a tactician or commander. My Level is 326 and my Core is D Rank." The pink-haired lady went first, speaking with a warm smile and a bubbly tone.
The blind, blonde woman cleared her throat as she spoke next. "My name is Ruby and I have a Storm Affinity. I am partnered up with Aryll over there, along with Himmel. My Level is 302 and my Core is C- Rank. Like Aryll, I do better as a tactician than a fighter."
The twins glanced at each other before the pink-eyed on stepped forward. "My name is Isabelle, and this is my sister Anna. We are both Priestess' of the Harvest Church sent to oversee this mission. I look forward to working with you all."
The woman concealed within a robe only grunted her name as an introduction. "You can call me Sheva. I have a Wood Affinity."
Isabelle and Anna looked at her in surprise and interest upon hearing this, but didn't comment. Finally, it was the woman with heterochromia's turn to give her greetings. "My name is Victoria Livius. I have a Poison Affinity and I prefer to take the role of a striker in combat."
Once everyone had given introductions, the spotlight returned to Endyr as the others awaited her own introduction. Having already given her name, and remembering the badge Suzan had given her, she took it out instead of answering.
Aryll's eyes lit up upon seeing it, as did the twin Priestess'. The pink-haired Adventurer took it and inserted her Mana inside, reading its contents before handing it over the the twins, who also read it. Once those two had finished reading, Kulkiri raised his hand and asked politely "Do you ladies mind if the rest of us can read that too?"
Aryll turned to Endyr, but she simply shrugged and waved her hand. "You can all read it if you want, I don't care" she explained breezily. Kulkiri clasped his hands and bowed slightly in response as he took the badge from Anne's hand. He imputed his Mana and read over the badge's contents.
For the next five minutes, everyone took the badge and checked it out-everyone except Erich, Johan and Victoria. The three shook their heads when the badge was passed to them, showing their lack of intent to read Endyr's information. This small action allowed Endyr and the rest of the group to gain an insight, however small, into their characters.
Once everyone had became basically acquainted, Isabelle cleared her throat and stepped forward, drawing everyone's attention. "Now that all twelve of us are here, we will begin the mission briefing. You should be aware that the Blood Coven has established a foothold in Sky Cross recently. This is nothing new: everyone few months, Cultists infiltrate the city and stir up trouble. The Cultists focus on drawing in sacrifices, gaining a harvest and then retreating. The gains are small enough, but consistent and of good quality. The city and the Cultists have engaged in a game of Cat and Mouse for multiple decades, with us driving them back at every opportunity."
"This time however, the case is slightly different. The Blood Coven has deployed a Bishop, whom we have identified as Harold Kismet, to lead their operations. For those unaware, Kismet is a Vampire that has been active for the last 150 years on the Gaia Continent and holds a relatively important position within the Gaia sect of the Cult. His purpose in coming to Sky Cross is unknown, but it cannot be good."
"We will distribute a booklet on everything we have gathered on Kismet, along with his subordinates. An important factor of strength for Vampires is their subordinates: they are always accompanied by them. Generally speaking a Vampire has servants of a weaker level, so Kismet would have multiple Grandmasters around the base. You lot will be tasked with eliminating them, while myself and Anna deal with the Bishop."
"This mission will be risky, but there is also a good chance of completing it unscathed. It all depends on how determined the Vampires are to defend the base. If it is just a normal run, they will pull back after losing a few Grandmasters or commanders. However, Kismet's presence has complicated things, so the Vampires will likely stick around and fight for longer. As long as you stick together and don't take any major risks, you should all make it out alive."
Once she had finished speaking, Arnold raised his hand. "Is there a difference in reward based on our performance?" he asked. Murmurs of agreement spread from the rest of the group, and Anne revealed a slightly twisted smile.
"Those who contribute greatly will naturally be given an additional reward, but everyone will get the same base reward. Of course, gaining additional merit in such a place will be very risky: your chance of death will spike appropriately. Several examples include killing Kismet yourself, or taking out a large number of Grandmasters-"
At that moment, Endyr was jolted away from the conversation as a blue panel suddenly appeared in front of her face.
[Notice: System Quest has been issued!]
[Quest: You have joined the Adventurer's Guild and taken on your first mission! Earn extra merit by preforming well, and reap the rewards!]
[Complete the Mission (Mandatory)]
[Kill a Grandmaster (Mandatory)}
[Ensure Bishop Kismet perishes (Optional)--->Kill Bishop Kismet (Optional)]}
[Kill half of the present Grandmasters (Optional)]
[Discover why Bishop Kismet was dispatched (Optional)]
[Rewards: 25 Authority Points (Mandatory Tasks), Unlocks Technique Section (Kill 50% of Grandmasters), Vessel-Eye (Kill Kismet), 10 extra Gold Coins (Death of Kismet), ??? (Discovery)]
[Note: This Quest cannot be refused, as you have already accepted it! Failure to complete the Mandatory Missions will result in overall failure!]
As Endyr read the notification from the System, her mouth gradually twisted upside-down. Her eyes narrowed and a single word escaped her clenched lips.
"Dogshit!"