"So, what about the guy's family?" I asked her as soon as we were out of the cell.
"What family?" She asked nonchalantly as if she wasn't the one threatening to kill a whole family just a moment ago.
"The family you were just threatening to kill?" I queried.
"He doesn't have a family." I didn't even realize my eyebrow raising.
What did she mean he didn't have a family?
"What were you threatening him for then?"
"Ever heard of hypnotic procedures? Yeah, that's the deal here."
I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was.
So, he doesn't have a family but it was just the effects of hypnosis?
Damn woman...
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We were outside an office. Seven feet long wooden door with silver engraving on the top most panel. Alliance Chief.
Apparently, she was here to inform this 'chief' about the information she had gotten from the man and apparently, she was trusting me. Why?
It shouldn't have hurt, but it did. Someone actually trusts me?
She knocked on the door and a deep voice from inside allowed us in. She entered first, I followed. She stopped right under the third light on the ceiling. I stood behind her at a distance but I could see the man sitting behind the desk.
He was in his late forties, probably. Scarcely bald. The office he was sitting in, not as nearly luxurious as mine, was capped with wooden panels on three walls including the wall with the door. The wall on my right, wasn't exactly a wall. It was glass. Tempered glass, most likely, from ceiling to floor giving in enough light and view to mesmorise someone from the woods.
"Sir, I have gathered some information on The poison tree." Emery finally spoke after a long silence. But the chief didn't look up from the documents he was looking at.
"I found out about the location of their recent hide out. If we go and examine the area, we might be able to find some clues." She added and that got his attention.
He looked up at her, closing the file in his hands, glanced at me and then turned his attention towards her again. His lips curled up at the ends. Probably happy.
"Tell me, what did you learn?" He asked, a deep, hoarse voice leaving his throat.
There was no answer. She looked at me. Then did I realize the question was not for her. It was for me.
So she wasn't trusting me. She knew I was here to join the DHO, she was just taking me with her so I can get some know-how on how this all works.
So, whether or not I am granted a job here depends on this question, huh?
I cleared my throat and thought for a second, contemplating my words. If my job was dependent on this answer, then it had to be short, meaningful, perfect.
Thankfully, I had grown up dealing with this sort of stuff and so I answered: "A lot, actually."
I think I hit the jackpot, looking at how he smirked when I said that.
---------------------------
I got the job.
That was quick. He simply asked me several questions and I kept my answers to the questions short.
"You should know that you're not getting any mission soon. You'll have to train first, at least for three months." Emery spoke in a stern tone as soon as we got out of the office. "You can choose your weapons from the weaponry room on the third floor. I will take you there." She added after a pause.
"What if I want to join officially sooner?"
"There are no ifs or buts in the rules of the DHO. Everyone has to follow them. And no more questions." She retorted, without even turning around. She kept walking and I followed behind her.
Okay, I'll rephrase then.
"I don't think I'll need to train for three months to start going on missions."
She came to a halt and turned around. You didn't phrase that as a question, her face said. But she didn't argue further and started walking again.
"You'll need to ask for the Chief's permission for that."
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The lift opened and she stepped on to the third floor. The whole floor was white, from ceiling to floor and the walls.
The weaponry room wasn't just a room. The whole floor was dedicated to it.
Many guns, knives, daggers, and gadgets were displayed on the walls. The floor wasn't small either, so there were a lot of weapons.
One of the two counters across the floor, had some incomplete weapons opened up on them.
"All the gadgets and weapons are kept here. If there is a problem in your weapon that needs to be fixed or if you want a new weapon, you can always come here." She spoke after a long silence, making sure I had looked around the floor and sure enough that she had my attention and damn right she did.
After I was done looking at each of the weapons closely, I turned my attention to the ones that were under process on the counter.
There was ding and a woman spoke as soon as she stepped out of the elevator.
"Did you find nothing to your liking?" The woman in her thirties, blonde hair and brown eyes, asked, sounding... amused.
"Mandy, he's a newbie. Can you help him find a weapon that suits him?" She spoke instead of me even though I was quite sure the question was directed towards me, not her.
"Sure." Mandy smiled.
"Good, then I'll leave you two."
"Oh, wait. Before I forget..." The woman walked behind the desk and ducked. There were a few beeping sounds before she got up, holding a long wooden box and placing it on the other, empty counter. She removed the lid and unwrapped whatever was inside and stepped away. "Voila. Your weapon is ready."
Emery stepped forward and took out her weapon.
"An umbrella?" The words escaped before I could stop them. I was dumbfounded.
They call an umbrella a weapon here? Then what was I going to get, a timber?
Emery didn't look happy with that question of mine. The other woman, namely Mandy, also looked disappointed.
Emery was clearly offended because she decided to show me what the umbrella could do.
She pressed the button that is used to open it and the not so umbrella weapon's flaps turned over, contracting. Defying all rules of reality, the cloth turned into a blade and extended, turning into a weapon.
"Okay... I got my answer."
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🔸Tip: Mandy is the weaponry crew incharge, taking care of the repairing and making of new and customized weapons.
Only the D.hunters in Rank 1C are allowed to have customized weapons.