Davi's eyes weakly opened, and he found himself looking up at a white roof that was bright and covered in lights. He was also looking into Ghost's eyes, who was leaning over his bed, studying his face.
"Sup." She giggled when she saw he was awake.
"...Sup." Davi sat up and moved his shoulders back and forth. He felt shockingly fine despite the state his body was in. He wasn't surprised to find himself in the medical ward when he woke up. Across the room, Falco was also waking up, and Olem stood next to the mutant, casting a few healing spells. Olivia was nowhere to be seen, so she was likely with the rest of the guild. "How long was I out for?" Davi asked.
"Only a day." Ghost hummed. "You seem to get knocked out a lot." She giggled. "Don't tell me you secretly want to live in the medical ward? I wouldn't mind having someone else!"
"Honestly," Olem let out a sigh, and the golem shook his blocky head. "What in Haru's name were the two of you thinking? You were both at death's door when I found you."
"Had to cheer the noobie up." Falco laughed. "I'm always most excited when I'm in the middle of a life-and-death battle! We both put our lives on the line and allowed our spirit to do the talking!"
Olem sucker punched Falco over the top of the head, nearly cracking the mutant's skull. "You're fucking stupid."
"It actually did help a bit." Davi's words caused everyone to turn to him in shock. He gave a lazy shrug. "At the very least, I made up my mind with Storymaker. Enchanted weapon or not, it's still my sword, and I'm going to use it. Maybe it'll be like coming out and seeing the world every now and then." He didn't know why, but he had a feeling the blade enjoyed his vault a lot more than the other one he found it in.
When he first laid eyes upon the blade, it seemed full of sorrow. Now it had become a lot more chirpy.
"You know," Laerton said casually. "Only nutjobs from Mordheim claim that their swords have feelings and can see." Everyone, except Davi, then let out loud yelps because they didn't even realize Laerton was in the room.
One moment, Ghost was the only one standing next to Davi's bed, and then the next, Laerton was seated casually, a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette half used up in the other. She blew a ring of smoke out and let out a grunt.
"C-Captain? When did you get here?" Ghost asked sheepishly, her heart settling down.
"I came to check on the recruit," Laerton said simply.
"Really?"
"No." The woman tossed the empty can of beer into the trash and casually jammed a finger into Davi's side, making him wince. "It is annoying that you keep ending up beaten up, though. I guess my luck is poor, and I ended up with a shitty recruit this year." She grumbled a few choice words under her breath. "You have Danger Sense and know how to fish, right?"
Davi raised an eyebrow at the odd question. "Yeah? Why?"
"I could tell based on how you moved during that attack on your life." Laerton let out a hum and took another drag on her cigarette. Davi was reminded of the Lung and Kitsune attack. The form he had entered through Olivia's power. "Danger Sense is rare. Very few people outside of Mordheim can have it. Even in Mordheim, it isn't a common trait. Its evolved form, Instinct, is even more rare. Whatever you did, that strange transformation you went into with that white-haired girl's skill, your Danger Sense seemed to temporarily evolve. You were using a form of Sword Soul and Sword Silk. Perhaps your body learned a bit from them, and you remember how to use the basics of Sword Soul. That's probably why you're freaking out about some magic sword. You're hearing it react."
"Is that something that can happen?" Davi asked in shock. "Can a sword actually talk?"
"Why not?" Laerton flicked him on the forehead. "Magic is weird after all. Who's to say how the rules work? Either way, it doesn't really matter. Without Instinct, Sword Soul and Sword Silk aren't possible."
Davi gave a nod, feeling a bit better with himself. If those threads and the way he had felt had been because that version of him had Instinct, then would gaining it naturally allow him to reach that point? He had a few ideas on where his training could go. Of course, his top priority was getting Fishing to become E1.
"Why did you come here, Captain?" Olem folded his arms and gave the blonde drunk a stern look. "Surely it wasn't just to lecture the new recruit. You hate doing that."
"Damn right I do." Laerton chuckled. "Falco, Ward needs you."
Falco got out of bed, stretching. "You're not sending Ragna?"
"Can't." Laerton shook her head. "I sent Ragna and Pock out to go get our recruits."
"New recruits?" Davi raised an eyebrow. "I feel like that has been brought up a lot…" On the first day he joined, it was mentioned that two other members would join their guild, but that didn't happen.
"They're finally letting us pick them up?" Ghost asked excitedly.
"It took them long enough." Olem's rocky fingers clenched tightly. "I wonder what made them finally give them to us."
Laerton chuckled. "Well, I heard through the grapevine someone from the Shining Sentinels vouched for our guild and got them to be released to us even after the Lance of Victory and Father tried to keep them held up."
"Ahh," Olem gave a nod as if he understood. "The Holy Saint?"
"Yeah." Laerton snickered. "I heard she came out for a bit. It must have seriously ticked Father off. I wish I could be there to see his face when he learned what she did."
"The Holy Saint?" Davi questioned.
"The only actual Knight I like," Laerton responded casually. "The rest of the Shining Sentinels are all stuck-up spoiled brats who think they're more clever than they actually are. Every now and then, though, you get someone like the Holy Saint. Someone who actually tries to embody the essence of what it means to be an Arcane Knight. She's pretty cool, but sadly, she's seldom allowed out. Most people don't even know that she exists. In a way, I guess you can say she is the secret weapon of the guild due to her vast power."
"Do you think she could beat a dragon?"
"That's an odd question."
"I'm an odd person."
"Good point." Laerton gave a lazy shrug. "Maybe. I think out of anyone in any of the guilds, if you want the strongest person possible, it would be her."
Davi gave a nod. So there was someone above even Father? Why was he the captain then? Also, if this holy saint was so powerful, why wasn't she used more? Either way, he honestly didn't care all that much. She'd just be a name to him until he could put a face to it. Currently, all she was was the top of the measuring stick. After all, if Laerton only thought she 'might' be able to beat a dragon, then he still had a long way to go.
He'd reach that point, though.
"Well, go ahead and get ready, Davi," Falco called out as he finished his stretches. "I'm taking you with me. It'll be fun seeing how you do on a mission." Falco grinned.
Davi nodded and climbed out of bed. He glanced down at the gi he was still in. It had seemingly been washed and cleaned up, as well as stitched together. It was apparent it had been sliced into a few times, but it was at least presentable. He hated the idea of getting a new one from Clause so soon and decided to just make do with what he had.
"Where are we going exactly?"
Falco laughed at his answer. "Oh yeah. You don't know Ward, do you?"
"Nope."
"Well, to put it in an easy-to-understand way, she's our client." Falco declared. "In fact, she's the only client of the Phoenix Flight guild. Only she has requested missions from us personally."
Meanwhile, outside the train car that housed the medical room, Olivia leaned against the metal wall and placed her phone to her ear. "What's up?"
"Hey Olivia…" Bruno's voice was different. Over the phone, people never sounded quite right, but even she could hear the exhaustion and stress that was in his voice, which made him sound vastly different. That chipper tone he had wasn't there.
"Hey, what's wrong?" This was the first time she had gotten to talk to Bruno since she joined the guilds. She didn't have his number saved in her new phone, and he had been way too busy to call her since he had likely been working his ass off in the Shining Sentinels guild. Despite having a new phone, her number was still the same as her old one, so he was at least able to get ahold of her now that he had a moment to himself.
"Sorry, I haven't called before now. I've been seriously tied up." Bruno let out a tired yawn into the phone. "The truth is, I'm still tied up. Besides Dad, I haven't been able to talk to anyone yet." He then went silent. "Speaking of Dad… Have you been able to get in contact with him?"
"No?" She had gotten Rosco's number after her last visit and had texted him a bit on the way to the base. It had been nearly three days since then, and he hadn't responded to any of her texts or calls.
"I haven't been able to get an answer from him either." Bruno let out an exhausted sigh. "We were talking every day before bed. They were never long talks since I barely had the time, but still. He was at least answering."
"I saw him the other day."
"You did?"
"Yeah." Olivia gave a nod even though she knew her friend couldn't see it. "It wasn't even that long ago. He was fine then. I bet you the power or phone lines are just down." That happened a ton at Fri. Growing up, there would be weeks, or in some cases even months, when everything would be fried and not working. This was nothing new and not anything to worry about. Especially since she saw the state of the village, and it had expanded. With expansion, there are always issues, so she wouldn't be shocked if they were just having an outage. "Why don't you give Heyhe a call? I think he could pass on any message for you."
"Yeah. I'm sure it isn't anything serious." Bruno let out a weak laugh that held no joy about it. "Recently, I've just been having nightmares."
"That's not good."
"Yeah." Bruno was quiet for a moment. "Growing up, I always suspected that my bloodline might not be so normal. Dad never talked about it, but we could trace our line back to Gallenth. Nearly everyone in Gallenth is related to an elf in some way…"
"Yeah, we always talked about how you might have a connection to the elves. Especially because of the trait you have. What about it?"
"They say the Elves could feel their kind," Bruno said softly. "They always knew when something wasn't right. They could connect their hearts and souls in ways normal humans can't. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but…"
"I'll check it out," Olivia promised. She was starting to get a bit freaked out. Bruno had never acted like this before. Surely Rosco was okay, though. After all, it had only been a few days since she saw him. What were the chances that something happened to him during that time? "When I get the chance, I'll stop by the village again."
"Thanks, Olivia." Bruno's voice seemed to return to its usual tone, and she could tell he was smiling again. "I wanted to head out there myself, but I've been so freaking busy. They're making me work my ass off and go on so many missions; it's driving me mad. I think I've gotten a lot stronger now. They're even talking about ranking me up from a Squire to a full-fledged Knight!"
"Seriously!" On one hand, she was happy for her friend. On the other hand, she was also extremely jealous.
It took a full year for a Squire to be ready to become an official Knight. It wasn't a matter of power but instead part of the rules. Like all things in the world, though, if a person knew the right sort of people, they could negate the rules. The Helios family was most famous for going from Squires all the way up to Title Knights in a matter of weeks.
It was just like Bruno to go past the expectations that were placed on him. Rosco never talked about Bruno's gift or talent, yet to everyone it was obvious. Even in such a shitty school and village, he had surpassed all the adults in the town when he was a small boy.
There was talent, and then there was Bruno.
"Thanks again for saying you'll check on him." Bruno chuckled softly. "Hopefully, when all this settles down, I can go and see him also."
"He'd like that." Olivia smiled. "I hope that happens as well."
"I have to go." Bruno let out a heavy sigh. "I have to get back to training with Alexander."
"Yeah, we'll talk more when you can."
"For sure."
The phone call ended, and Olivia placed it back in her jacket pocket. She glanced up at the clouds high above. It would rain soon. Why did she feel so worried over nothing?
Rosco was fine.
The train car door opened, and Olivia was forced to step away as the ramp came down. When it was fully lowered, she saw Davi, Falco, and Ghost all stepping out.
"Olivia!" Falco grinned when he saw her. "Perfect timing!" He walked past her and grabbed her wrist. "Come on." Falco began to drag her toward the exit of the junkyard. Davi shrugged and followed along, as did Ghost.
"W-Where are we going?"
"We got a mission," Falco explained. "A client wants to talk to us, and we're going to go help her out."
"Okay?"
As the four of them reached the gate that led out to the beach, Ghost whined slightly. "Man, it sucks I can't come with you guys."
"Why not?" Olivia turned to look back at the usually hyper girl. Ghost looked bummed. Her shoulders were sagging down and her head was bowed.
"I can't leave very far from Olem's side. His mana helps keep me stabilized. Olem doesn't like leaving this junkyard either since it's like a mini dungeon for him."
"Really—"
"Yes, yes," Falco rolled his eyes. "It's all very complicated, and I don't feel like hearing the explanation again. Sorry, Ghostie, you'll be sitting this one out."
"I know." Ghost gave a nod. "Bring me back something cool though!"
"I always do." Falco winked.
Ghost waved them off as they fully stepped out of the gate's boundary and began to head for Oleander City. The more he learned about Phoenix Flight, the more Davi became confused about how it functioned as a guild at all and why they even needed to go on quests.
It would be better to leave the guild as a placeholder and not have them interact with anyone since the curse would go off. Maybe there was more to the curse that he didn't know about, or perhaps it was because the members of the guild all seemed to be good people for the most part.
Even with the people who were good, the guild also rarely sent that many people out on missions. Olem and Ghost couldn't leave, Vlad and Laerton refused to leave, Clause wasn't allowed to leave, and Mama Herta seemed like she didn't want to leave her kitchen either. He also doubted Gormay and Miranda were that interested in going out on quests.
The only ones who did anything were Ragna, Greenie, Falco, Tea, and Doggy. There was also that Merlin guy, but he had only seen him a handful of times. Usually at night, Merlin would sometimes walk the beach. They only ever had the one conversation, so he didn't know what to think about the man.
Overall, this was certainly not an ideal guild, but it was the one that fate had handed him. He'd play with the cards he had, and he'd carve a path to his own future if he had to.
When they reached Oleander, the curse started to go off again. Light bulbs exploded, cars almost ran into them, and the three of them got drenched as sewer lids erupted.
It sucked.
"So, who exactly is this client that we're going to meet?" Davi asked casually.
"Her name is Alice Ward." Falco used a basic spell to dry them off, and they approached a small building nestled between two skyscrapers. It was only two stories tall and looked like an apartment complex, with heavy metal stairs leading up to a room. "She's a scary woman."
"Is she?" Olivia said with wide eyes. "How scary are we talking about?"
"As scary as Gormay when he goes hungry."
"I don't get it."
"Trust me, you will." Falco began to head up the stairs, his eyes focused on a door. "Laerton likes Alice because of the way she acts. We want to make her happy because she's the closest thing we have to a repeat customer. She comes by a lot to hire us dirt cheap to get her dirty work done. Don't piss her off either, or she can ruin your life."
"How so?"
"She's head of the paper in Oleander and has a ton of connections to newsstands," Falco explained. "She can write a story on you, and while it won't be the most popular thing ever, a ton of people will still see it. She once wrote a hit piece on a guy named Corvan. The poor bastard pissed her off and died from a werewolf attack. Well, her story made his death way more embarrassing and had him get ripped apart. She can ruin your reputation. Our guild isn't in a good spot already, so it's best not to anger her. In exchange for keeping her happy, she'll sometimes write good pieces on our guild. She's part of the reason we're even able to hang outside of Oleander City and come in."
"Got it." Olivia nodded and put her serious face on. "Don't get on her bad side."
"Anything else we should know about her?" Davi questioned. "Just controlling the media doesn't sound that bad."
"She also controls several gangs in the city."
"What?" Olivia yelped out, startled.
"Don't bring that up, or she'll get mad. Okay, serious faces!" Falco reached a door at the top of the stairs, and he knocked. From inside of the room, classical music came out, and a slot opened up in the door as a pair of eyes peered out. "We're here to see Madam Ward." Falco gave a half-bow. Olivia followed his lead, but Davi remained standing, his arms folded.
"Hoo da' 'ell are dose two?" A guttural voice came out from the other side of the door.
"They're new recruits," Falco stated. "I brought them along so they could see Madam Ward."
"Awright." There was a click, and the metal door swung open. On the other side was a tall man. Nowhere near as big as Ragna, but still massive in terms of height. He was dressed in a suit that struggled to hold his muscles, and he had a bald head and a cleanly shaven face. "C'mon in, an' tek off yer shoes. Da Madam be ready t' see ya."
The man stepped to the side and waved them in. The room wasn't that big and looked sort of like a homemade office, with a red-carpeted floor and many bookshelves lined up. Each held a thick tome that looked like it could crush a person's skull if you hit them hard enough, and there was a large oak desk. It had a cigar tray and wine as well as several glasses ready for use.
A swivel chair was placed on the other side of the desk, facing away from them, so they couldn't see who was seated. In the corner was an old CD player, which let out soft tunes that filled the air. There was also a radio broadcasting news from many cities across the kingdom.
"You arrived on time." The voice from the other side of the chair was soft and calm, not like the rough man's.
"We did." Falco took a knee before the desk. "You sent in a quest. We're here to fulfill your wish."
The chair slowly spun around, allowing both Davi and Olivia to see the woman. She was old, but it looked graceful. Her face was starting to get wrinkles, but years of plastic surgery seemed to hold it off. The lines were faint and barely there, but her body was far thinner than it should have been, and the wrinkles covered her hands. Her hair was black but filled with so much grey that it seemed to be the new dominant color.
She wore a long brown trench coat that looked perfect for concealing weapons, and she grabbed the bottle of wine, pouring herself a glass. The vibe she gave off was that of someone far past her youth and prime, yet doing her best to reverse and slow the effects of aging. There was still a beauty to her, but it was clear that the woman she used to be was gone.
"New recruits?" The faintest hint of a smile crossed her face.
"Indeed." Falco gave another nod. "They recently joined."
"Yes, I remember seeing them during the livestream. I'm shocked they stuck around, though." She took a sip from her glass and let out a satisfied sigh. "Alright then. How old am I?"
"What?"
"How old am I?" The woman repeated. "Guess my age. Go on. You first." Falco winced and looked down at the ground. This was the test she always held.
Olivia flinched when those eyes landed on her. She cleared her throat and straightened herself. "Y-You look young—"
"Give me a number," Alice said bluntly.
"E-Early or late twenties?"
"Which is it?"
"E-Earl twenties." Olivia declared. "Twenty-four!"
"I see." Alice hummed and gave a nod. Her eyes then flickered to Davi. "And you? How old do you think I am?"
"I dunno." Davi shrugged. "Seventy. Probably closer to eighty."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Pure silence.
All the noise in the room cut out, and everyone turned to look at Davi. The man in the suit, Olivia, and Falco all had shocked eyes.
Davi scratched at his nose. "Look at those hands you got. Covered in wrinkles. And that hair? Yeah, you dyed the black back in; it was for sure all grey. I bet your face has undergone so much plastic surgery that most of that flesh is fake-" Olivia elbowed him as hard as she could.
"Shut the fuck up." She hissed.
"Huh? Oh, right, I should just give one answer." Davi cleared his throat and pointed at Alice. "I'm going to guess ninety-four. I don't know why Olivia guessed so low, but I got to be way closer, right? So do I win?"
Falco face-palmed. "Welp, it was good knowing you, Davi."