Luna and Sunny stand outside the hunters' hideout. Luna is trembling as she reaches for the door. "Don't worry, partner. If what I heard is true, you'll have about four to five more days to get in some training!"
Luna's hand continues to shake as she reaches for the door, entering with Sunny following close behind. "Alright, partner, I'll do the talking!" Sunny smiles with a thumbs-up.
"O-okay!" Luna stutters, the butterflies filling her stomach, even though she's only signing up for a test.
Sunny approaches the front desk. "Me and my friend want to go on a hunt!"
The woman behind the counter smiles at Sunny. "Go down the hallway, take a left, and open the second door on the left."
As they walk down the hallway, Luna raises an eyebrow. "Why a double left? Why not a double right or a left and then a right?"
Sunny just shrugs. "Who knows? Maybe the person who built this place really liked going left."
Sunny opens the door, revealing another room with just an elevator. They step in, and Sunny presses every button on the left side of the control panel. The elevator descends quickly before coming to a stop, opening to a completely new area.
The room is bustling with activity—workers, guards, and several intriguing individuals. Luna quickly hides behind Sunny.
"It's alright, partner. I'm here. Come on, let's go—we just need to talk to that representative over there!"
The two walk over, and the man greets them with a smile. "Oh, hello there! Are you here for a mission, a report, or something else?"
Sunny grins. "Howdy! I'm here to sign my friend up for the hunters' test!"
The man smiles and pulls out a stack of papers, handing them to Sunny. "Have your friend fill out these forms to the best of her ability, and here's a waiver she'll need to sign as well."
The two women sit at a table, and a waitress, dressed in uniform, brings them glasses of water and a plate of snacks.
"Ooo," Luna's eyes light up at the sight of the snacks. "These are fancy!"
Sunny smirks. "Yeah, they've got the best snacks here in Sanctum."
Luna reads over the waiver. "So, I have to sign this waiver. I'm guessing it's the usual 'we aren't responsible for anything bad that happens during the test' type of deal?"
Sunny nods. "Yep, right on the money, partner."
Sunny grabs the papers and skims through them. "Alright, this looks no different than the ones I signed. Just your basic stuff." She sighs. "These shouldn't take more than thirty minutes to fill out."
Luna lets out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine! Ugh, at least the staff here seems really nice!"
Sunny smiles, leaning toward Luna. "Just always be nice to them, no matter what. Being rude to them, even a little, will make your career as a hunter twenty times harder."
Luna nods. "Message received!"
Sunny raises an eyebrow. "You know, once you're done with these papers, you're officially on the path to becoming a hunter. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
Luna's expression softens into a gentle smile. "Y-yeah. I mean, I could've backed out before now, but I want to keep my promise to you. And honestly, I think I could be good at this whole hunter thing. It's something I can do with my life!"
Sunny's eyes light up. She places a hand on Luna's shoulder. "I knew you were the right choice!"
Luna leans her head against Sunny's hand. "Thanks. Let's get this paperwork out of the way, and then we can get back to training!"
Sunny chuckles. "That's the spirit, partner!"
As Luna continues filling out the forms, a man enters the room. He wears a red leather trench coat, black gloves, and has a long fade haircut. His fair, slightly tanned skin is complemented by a well-groomed beard. He looks directly at Luna, his piercing gaze carrying an air of authority.
"Hmm, interessant. Du siehst etwas vielversprechender aus als manch anderer Abschaum und Gesindel, das sich hier für den Test angemeldet hat." (Hmm, interesting. You look a little more promising than some of the other scum and riffraff who signed up for the test here.)
Luna quickly looks up at the man. "Uhmm, h-hello?" she says nervously, forcing a smile.
"Ah, I see you're nervous. Fair enough." The man's thick German accent adds weight to his words. "My name is Emmerich. I'll be proctoring the test you're signing up for. Now, give me your name!"
"Y-yes, sir! I'm Luna D. Gold!" Luna stammers, freezing up under his intense scrutiny. She glances nervously at Sunny.
Emmerich's sharp eyes move to Sunny. "Ah, you must be Sunny, yes? I assume you're training her. Let me guess—you finally want a partner? Well, you've chosen a good one. But," his tone darkens, "I've heard whispers around here. Not everyone likes the look of her. Be vigilant—there are people who might want her dead."
Emmerich walks away, scanning the room for any other potential test takers, while Luna sits at the table, visibly terrified.
"P-p-p-people want m-me dead!" she stammers.
Sunny places a reassuring hand on Luna's shoulder.
"Even if that's true, there's no way in hell I'll let that happen. I'll keep you safe as long as I'm around!"
Luna smiles weakly. "Yeah, you're right."
The cat, Billy, meows and rubs against Luna's cheek with a soft purr.
"Oh, I guess you'll protect me as well, Billy!"
After regaining her composure, Luna finishes the paperwork, hoping that the proctor was merely trying to psyche her out. Approaching the representative, she hands over the completed forms.
"Here you go. I-I finished signing!"
The man pulls out an envelope and hands it to her.
"Here you go. This letter contains the location of the test! Don't lose it, because you will not get another one!"
He smiles and leans back in his chair.
"Oh, and one more thing, miss. If you hear any unnerving whispers or rumors, rest assured that no one in their right mind would harm you in a Sanctum-owned building. So, put your mind at ease. But out in the world, keep your eyes and ears open."
Luna nods slowly. "G-got it. Th-thanks for the warning!"
She quickly returns to Sunny.
"Yep, a-all s-signed up!"
Sunny grins.
"Alright, partner, let's head out!"
As they leave the building, Luna keeps glancing around nervously. Sunny notices and lets out a sigh, but her attention is quickly drawn to a store nearby.
"Oh! Let's go there, partner!"
Without waiting for a response, Sunny grabs Luna's arm and drags her toward the neon-lit storefront.
"W-wait! Sunny!" Luna yelps as she's pulled along.
Inside, the store glows with vibrant colors, and racks of stylish clothes line the walls. But what immediately catches Luna's attention is the shopkeeper. He doesn't look human. He wears a trench coat reminiscent of the 1930s and a bowler hat, but all that's visible of his face is a wide, unsettling smile.
"Hello! Feel free to look around!" he says cheerfully.
Luna clings to Sunny's side, her nerves on edge, but what confuses her is Sunny's complete lack of reaction to the strange shopkeeper.
"Look, Luna! Look at these clothes—they're amazing! We should get you something new!" Sunny exclaims with excitement, seemingly unfazed by the eerie figure.
Luna focuses on Sunny, trying to ignore the shopkeeper. Sunny picks out several articles of clothing and thrusts them into Luna's hands.
"Go try these on!"
Luna forces an awkward smile. "O-okay!"
She quickly scurries to the changing room, her heart racing. Inside, she whispers to herself, "W-what the hell is that man!?"
Suddenly, Alter appears beside her.
"That's the shopkeeper."
Luna whips her head toward Alter, startled.
"W-what?"
"Don't bother trying to fight him, and definitely don't antagonize him," Alter warns. "He can't be killed. Several hunters have tried, and all of them failed."
Luna stares at Alter in disbelief. "G-got it. I'll keep that in mind. But why didn't Sunny say anything?"
Alter shrugs. "Who knows? Maybe she's encountered him before, or maybe she didn't care enough to mention it. His legacy and infamy precede him. He won't harm you unless you start something or try to steal from him."
Luna sighs, turning her attention back to the clothes Sunny handed her.
"S-Sunny seems to have good taste. These look great!"
Alter rolls her eyes before fading away.
As Luna tries on the new clothes, she notices the stark contrast between them and her old outfit, now lying on the floor. Her old clothes—a plain white T-shirt, khaki pants, and a simple gray jacket—look dull in comparison.
The new outfit consists of sleek black and white pants adorned with a few gold chains, paired with a long-sleeved shirt evenly divided between black and white. On the left sleeve of the shirt is a golden crescent moon, adding an elegant touch. She also wears a black leather jacket scattered with small, shimmering stars across its surface.
Luna looks at herself in the mirror. With this outfit on, she can barely recognize herself!
As she steps out of the dressing room with a light blush on her face, she asks nervously, "W-what do you think?"
Sunny throws a thumbs up. "You're looking great, girl!"
Luna smiles, poking her fingers together. "O-oh, you think so?"
Sunny walks over and pats Luna on the back. "Alright! And don't worry—I grabbed a bunch more clothes for the both of us. Oh, and don't worry, I already paid for everything!"
Luna glances one more time at the shopkeeper, who simply waves goodbye.
"Thank you, come again!"
Luna and Sunny make their way back to the RV after a long walk.
"Alright, partner," Sunny says as they arrive. "Hey, wait here at the RV. I have one last place to go—don't worry, I won't get into any fights. I just need to finalize an order for the house!"
Luna nods as Sunny heads off. Time passes—about twenty minutes—and Luna spends the time reading the book Jeffery gave her. She even manages to memorize two spells.
Suddenly, there's a knock at the door. Luna gets up to open it, but as the door creaks open, a hand grabs her and throws her out of the RV. Before she hits the ground, she shouts, "Rubber ground!"
The ground beneath her turns into rubber, and she bounces off it, landing a good distance away.
There, she sees two large men, both wielding baseball bats. They charge at her, but Luna reacts quickly, shouting, "Rubber ground, followed by weak tornado!"
The ground beneath the men swiftly turns to rubber. The tornado, spinning rapidly in the middle, twists up the terrain, trapping the men in the distorted, elastic ground. As they struggle to escape, Luna pours more mana into the tornado, causing it to spin even faster. Despite their efforts, the men are unable to free themselves.
Sunny arrives, taking in the scene with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey, partner, wha—" Her eyes land on the trapped men. "Who the hell are you two?"
The men, clearly panicking, stammer, "W-we were sent by Sanctum to fight that one!" They point to Luna.
Sunny lets out a long sigh. "I see. Well, y'all have fun getting out of your predicament. Someone will come by to help... eventually."
She grabs Luna's hand and guides her back into the RV.
"Alright, partner, keep your guard up from here to the test site. It seems Emmerich's idea for a test might be to see how hunters handle being hunted themselves!"
Luna looks at Sunny, wide-eyed. "G-got it! Wait... so people do want me dead!?" She begins breathing rapidly, panic setting in.
"Maybe," Sunny replies, her tone more serious, "but I won't let anyone hurt you. That said, we're doubling down on your training. Got it?"
Luna quickly stands up straight, determination returning to her face. "Y-yes, Sunny!"
The two women drive off toward their home, the looming threat of more attackers hanging over them, as they prepare for the challenges ahead.