Tokimichi hands the bundled parchment to the receptionist girl with a nod. She smiles and congratulates Jin.
"Good job! Your testing field will be right this way." She says warmly as she takes both of them to a training grounds with a few metal dummies, targets, and other equipment. It was completely encased in a tall vine-y wall that hid the town around it completely.
"Good luck, young adventurer." The lady says then disappears off into the guildhall again. Jin looks at Tokimichi who's inspecting the metal dummy.
"How nice. This could probably withstand a gold three fang's attack." He says while knocking on it with his knuckle. He turns to Jin.
"Being here for the fang test, I assume you understand the class and rank system of the guild?" Tokimichi states loudly. Jin shakes his head to Tokimichi's surprise.
"Why are you taking the fang test if you don't know what a fang is? Or if what you get placed as is good or bad?" Tokimichi says as he sits down atop his knees.
"Fine. Sit. I will walk you through it." He says. Jin complies and sits, mimicking his sitting position. Tokimichi holds his finger out and starts to draw in the brown dirt of the ground.
"Guild rankings are dividing into six levels or tiers. Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Orichalcum. This is further divided into three sub tiers in each tier. So one copper, two copper, etc." Tokimichi says as he draws a small diagram of the tiers. Jin listens intently, trying desperately to remember everything he says.
"But, there's also the class system. Stars, Feathers, Shields, and finally, Fangs, us." Tokimichi says as he draws out each of the symbols of the classes.
"S-So you are a diamond one Fang, which makes you pretty powerful, right?" Jin asks as he looks at Tokimichi in a new light. Tokimichi grins and nods calmly.
"Yes, I'm quite powerful, but I still have a ways to go. I'm nearing in on two diamond though." Tokimichi stands and Jin follows suit. He leads Jin to a metal dummy.
"Strike this with your quickest swing." He commands without hesitation. Jin flinches then draws his sword. He takes a deep breath but Tokimichi bonks him on top of the head with the hilt of his sheathed sword.
"Too slow. In battle you won't get a chance to catch your breath." He said sternly. Jin furrows his brow then puts his sword back in his large sheath on his back.
As quickly as he could, Jin drew his sword then slashed at the metal dummy. But in his swiftness, he fails to pull the blade out correctly and nearly drops it on his head if not for Tokimichi's lightning fast reflexes. Tokimichi clicks his tongue and shakes his head.
"You're too young to be wielding a blade of this size. A straight sword is also too bulky for you to use swiftly. I would recommend you switch to a thinner, lighter sword. It will deal less damage but until you're able to handle that you shouldn't use such an unwieldy blade." Tokimichi scolds. Jin nods and lowers his head, thinking he had failed the test.
"Draw the blade." Tokimichi says as he takes a step back to allow Jin to strike the dummy. Jin jumps at the opportunity and draws the blade as fast as he can manage without fumbling again. Jin raises the blade up high then brings it down with as much force as he can muster.
The blade hits the dummy with a flash of sparks. After the initial collision, the blade bounces off and stabs into the dirt. The attack left the dummy in perfect condition, not even a scratch. Jin looks at it in shock before trying to strike it again. But the blade was firmly planted in the ground. He grunts and struggles to pull it from the ground to no avail.
"I see. You wield a blade nearly larger than you in hopes to one day grow worthy of it, yes?" Tokimichi says with a gentle smile as he reaches out and frees the blade from the ground with ease.
"That is quite the undertaking. This body of yours needs many improvements to be worthy of this blade. Let alone something more valuable. But there aren't many who have such a look in their eye." He states firmly with crossed arms. He grins down at Jin and nods.
"Yes, I can tell you've got potential for the sword. Have you been tested for magical prowess too?" Tokimichi asks to the boy as he pulls out another scroll of parchment and starts to scribble down his conclusions.
"N-No, not yet. Lileen said I don't really need to be tested for magic since I'm a swordsman." Jin says while looking up at Tokimichi nervously. He wonders if what the ronin is writing is good enough to pass.
"I see. This Lileen must be the elven girl with you. They are steeped traditions that stop their own growth. Especially high elves. They all believe they are correct in everything." Tokimichi says casually as he paces back and forth, considering what to write down. Suddenly, he stops and scribbles something down then closes the bundles the parchment back up.
"Okay. You have passed the second stage. Now we begin the fun part. The final trial is a mock battle." Tokimichi says as he walks over to a shaded area to set the parchment down. Jin flinches at the thought of a mock battle against the swoardsman.
"Wh-What? I have to f-fight someone like you?" Jin asks, terrified already. Tokimichi grins and walks over an area of the training ground with a red circle painted in the dirt. He motions for Jin to come over as well.
"Yes. I will be going easy on you, so do not worry. This is a copper test after all." Tokimichi reassures as he takes a deep breath then steps over the line into the circle.
"Enter the circle when you are ready to begin." Tokimichi says as he exudes a deadly battle-ready energy. His killing intent causes Jin's legs to shake and quiver. His cowardly instincts take over. Every single muscle in his body tells him to run as fast as he can. Jin falls to his butt in fear. His teeth clenched.