"He's mine!"
"No! He's mine!"
On the floor of a forest, two women fought. One had bony claws that jutted from her fingers, and she hissed, showing fangs. The other was covered in fur and howled up to the full moon. A vampire and a werewolf, locked in an intense battle.
Standing before the two snarling monsters was a young man. He wasn't handsome; in fact, some could call him quite ugly, but for whatever reason, these two beauties seemed dead set on claiming him for one another.
"Ladies, ladies, ladies!" Corvan said, holding his hands up. "There's plenty of me to go around. Why don't you two share?"
That caused both the monster girls to stop suddenly. They had both been on the ground, clawing and biting at one another, but they stopped at the ugly man's words.
"That's not a bad idea." The werewolf hummed.
"Yeah." The vampire nodded, and slowly they untangled themselves and stood up.
Corvan placed his hands on his hips and laughed. "Yes! I'm fine with two wives—what are you doing?" The werewolf walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and picked him up, while the vampire grabbed him by the ankles. "Uh? Girls."
"What does it look like?" The vampire smiled. "We're sharing you." And with that, she pulled in one way, while the werewolf pulled in the other way.
Corvan's screaming filled the air, followed seconds later by a tearing sound as he was torn to bits by the two monsters. They obviously hadn't been fighting for his attention…
"And that was how Corvan, a member of Phoenix Flight, died." The scene suddenly changed, twisting to a gray background as a man in a suit faded into view. He stared into the camera with a solemn look. "Like most members of Phoenix Flight, he died due to a bit of bad luck. Reports claim he had been drugged with a powerful love potion, which caused his senses to be off, leading to him falling in love with the first person he saw. That happened to be a fledgling vampire whose dungeon opened up nearby. Also, another sign of the Phoenix Flight curse was a second dungeon that opened up, where a new werewolf boss monster stepped out. The two monsters ended up tearing the poor man to shreds. We'll forever remember Corvan as that guy who wanted to have a threesome with monster girls. He will be missed. Up next, the unfortunate loss of Herta's legs."
There was a click, and the TV shut off. Miranda let out a sigh and slumped slightly at the bar as she lazily stared at the small screen that was propped up by a few books. "Dull and boring. As always."
Gormay opened his jaws and slid an entire dish of burgers into his mouth and swallowed it all, plate included. He crunched; the glass shattered in his mouth as he ate and then swallowed. "You know, if you think it's so bad, why do you watch it all the time?" He grunted, already reaching across the bar to grab a second plate of burgers.
Miranda leaned back in her chair and shrugged. "It's better than listening to the usual crap around here." She said flatly.
"I don't know." Herta hummed and stood behind the bar, cleaning a glass with a rag. "I think it's rather lovely today. It's only slightly loud."
An entire table was thrown into the wall next to her and exploded into a shower of wooden debris, which scattered across the floor.
In the center of the room, a loud booming voice blared out. "I'll kill you! I'll skin you alive! Then, I'm going to put you back together! Do you two hear me?" Another table was thrown across the room as Olem rampaged like he always did when he got ticked off.
"Hohoho." Clause let out a laugh and patted his belly and took a swig of the ale that Herta gave him. "Look at him go. Run, kiddos!"
Ghost giggled, and she dodged out of the way of Olem's strike as he swung another table at her and Falco. "You'll have to try better than that!" She sang out.
"Yeah." Falco flapped his wings and took to the air, staying just out of Olem's reach. His head brushed against the roof of the train cart. "You can't get us!"
In a corner of the room, Vlad bashed his head into the nearby wall over and over again. "For fuck's sake, does it have to be this shit every day?"
Olem's hands grabbed various weapons that rested on the wall, and with a yell, he threw them at Ghost, only for them to go straight through her. They flew through the room and headed straight for the door right as it opened. The weapons rammed directly into Pock, along with the two new people who were with him. Instantly, the fighting cut out.
"Uh, whoops," Olem said, suddenly sounding sheepish. "Did I do that?"
Davi remained flat on his back, feeling a wave of pain in his gut. Slowly, he forced himself to sit up and groaned.
"Are you okay?"
Davi forced the pain to fade, and he looked up, finding a young woman standing before him. She was maybe a little older than him and had skin that was somehow even paler than Olivia's. It was almost ghostly. Her hair was long and a silvery blue, and she had long eyelashes and brightly colored eyes that looked like two lakes. She wore a long white nightgown as well, and tucked under her arms was a teddy bear. It was an extraordinary sight.
The girl held her hand out to him, while Pock and Olivia both started to sit up as well. "Here," the girl offered. "Let me help you up."
Davi reached out and took the hand and stood up, but suddenly the girl's body changed. One moment, she was flesh and blood; then, the next, her entire body seemed to be made out of a pale blue light. She was ghostly, and he could see through her. His hand was instantly covered in ice, and it slipped past her palm. Then an intense chill shot through him as he slipped and crashed into the girl, phasing through her and falling onto the other side of the ground.
"Crap!" The girl's eyes went wide, and her form changed back to her earlier appearance, being made of flesh. "Shit, that was a total accident, you've got to believe me! I can't control that! I'm sorry!"
Davi flared his mana around his body, causing the ice to melt and break off him. "It's fine." He stated, though the look in his eyes made it clear, that it was, in fact, not fine. He was ticked off.
"That's quite the mana you have." A metallic voice hummed, and a hand crashed down onto his face. Davi's eyes went wide, and he looked up, finding a tall figure looming over him. "Let's see what you can do."
Davi felt a surge of energy enter his body that wasn't his. Mana was seeping into his flesh, then his muscles, his bones, and finally his blood, trailing and mapping his body out. He slapped the hand away and jumped up to his feet, but as he stood, he realized how mighty this person was.
It was no man, at least not anymore. He was easily over twelve feet tall, and his head nearly brushed the roof of the train car. He was also remarkably bulky, being almost as wide as a car. His body was shaped in a strange, blocky way, with a square head and rectangular limbs. Instead of flesh, he was made entirely out of iron, and in his chest there was a massive ball of energy that hummed and crackled with power.
The thing was a golem, and Davi was reminded of the creatures that Gray had summoned when he fought the man, but this one was even bigger, and the feeling it gave off caused his danger sense to go haywire. Not to mention, this one was also made out of solid steel, unlike the other ones, which had been made out of dirt and rocks.
Even with the pain going through his face, Davi didn't attack because he could tell this thing didn't mean him any harm. It was just studying him.
"You appear to be fine." The golem stated. "Your body is resistant to cold, so going through Ghost didn't have any lasting effects, and when my earlier attack smashed into you, you were able to reinforce your mana and focus it all into your gut, thus preventing any broken bones. Well done. I've only seen someone like Vlad or Ragna pull that off in such a rapid time." The golem then stepped past him and made its way over to Olivia and Pock. "Now let's check on your friend."
Olivia flinched as the heavy hand landed on her head. It was big enough to crush her head if it closed into a fist. Like Davi, a surge of mana forcefully entered her body, mapping it out.
The golem lifts its hand away. "Oh, how interesting. You weren't able to react to the attack, and it did break your bones, but they're already mending and healing. You have a healing trait already? The mana is focused in your blood, so blood magic? That would explain the body's self-healing, but it affects even your bones, not just your blood? Intriguing, your core converts mana into new cells? I'll go ahead and heal you so that you can save your energy." The golem placed his palm in front of her, and the core surged brighter. "Row Atomic Repair."
A wave of light came flying out, and it almost looked like the king's core, being a ball of pure mana that had tendrils of helixes flaring out of it. The orb hit her in the chest, and Olivia gasped as she felt her body repair itself, all her damage fading away.
The golem then did the same to Pock, healing him as well. "Thanks, Olem!" Pock announced, shooting back up to his feet. He placed his hands on his hips and gave a large grin. "I was hoping you'd still be around!"
The golem folded his arms and gave a nod. "So, who are these two?"
"W-We're new guildmates," Olivia said sheepishly. She was a little confused about how a golem could talk but decided to go with it.
"Really!" Ghost said excitedly. She had her teddy bear hugged to her chest and was inspecting Davi, using her other arm to feel his muscles. "Are you both part of our guild—" Her body flickered again, and she stumbled through Davi, falling out the other side again. "Whoops."
Davi's mana flared again, and he shattered the ice. "Please stop doing that."
"My bad." Ghost giggled.
Pock clapped Olivia hard on the back, nearly making her stumble. "As she said, these are our new guildmates! What do you think, Olem?"
Olem looked down at Olivia. His head was like a block and had what might be a face carved into it. "They're okay, Pock. You were a lot stronger than they are when you first joined the guild. Hopefully, Ragna can whip them into shape. He should be getting back in the next few days." Then the golem turned to look back at Davi and Olivia. "I'm Olem. Olem the golem."
"I'm Davi? Davi the Hawker?"
"I'm Olivia Lot," Olivia said, giving a bow of her head. "We're pretty new to all of this, so sorry."
"Don't be!" Ghost chirped and wrapped her arms around Olivia in a tight hug. "I'm happy to have another girl who looks my age! Oh, I'm Ghost, by the way! I love your skin; it's so pretty!"
"Thanks?"
"I plan to show them the others, so mind if we enter?" Pock asked.
Olem nodded and turned. "Yeah, let's show them the people they'll be watching die."
"Is it really that bleak?" Olivia asked in shock.
"Yep." Olem stomped forward, and Ghost eagerly dragged Olivia into the base.
Davi was a little annoyed since she didn't seem to be doing the weird phasing thing when she was touching Olivia… He and Pock barely made it into the train before a new pair of arms wrapped around him.
"Fresh meat!" A voice chuckled.
Davi growled as he was forced into a headlock. He punched back and felt his fist smash into something. A voice grunted, and the arms let go of his neck.
"Ow! What the hell? I was just joking around; you didn't have to sucker punch me." Unlike Olem, who Davi was sure was a complete monster, this one was a Magical Mutant. He was around Davi's age and had dark skin. His hair was bright blue and looked to be made mostly of feathers, and a beak was forming out of his face, connecting his mouth and nose with bone. Claws jutted out of his fingertips, and various feathers also grew out of his arms. He wore a black tank top with the guild symbol proudly displayed on it and long pants, but he lacked shoes, as his feet were bird-like talons.
The bird man was rubbing his beak and groaning in pain. Olem turned to him. "Ha! Serves you right. Hit him again if he bothers you. He's a jackass that doesn't understand how much he gets on people's nerves."
"Oh, I understand." The bird chuckled. "I just don't care." His beak twisted into a sort of smirk as he held a fist out to Davi. "You got a mean right hook. It looks like I've found my future sparring partner. The name's Falco."
Davi looked down at the fist and eventually bumped it with his own. "Davi."
While he was doing that, Ghost led Olivia over to the counter, where two women and a large man were seated. Olivia looked around with wide eyes. She had never been on a train before, and this one was definitely far bigger and different from regular trains already, but it reminded her almost of a bar.
The floor was metal and covered in hundreds of scratches and dents, as were the walls. There were many tables scattered throughout the room, most of which were destroyed. Near the back of the right side, a series of arcade machines was located, all of which were plugged in and somehow had power. On the left side was a bar with dozens of stools lined up. There was a TV propped up on a stack of books, and behind the bar was a door that led into another room, but still in the same train car, which confused Olivia. The smell of food was also heavy in the air, and she spotted a shelf full of various bottles of wine, ale, and many other drinks.
"This is Herta!" Ghost said excitedly. "She's kind of the boss of this room, but super sweet unless you piss her off."
Herta was another mutant. In fact, now that Olivia looked around, everyone but Ghost appeared to be a mutant. She didn't have anything against them and wasn't afraid, but it made her wonder how they all felt. Not only were they all cursed with bad luck, but they'd slowly turn into monsters and become mindless as well. It did give her some hope, though, because Herta was smiling.
Her thoughts went to the girls who had turned into mutants in Garon's town. She hoped they were doing okay.
"It's good to meet you. I'm Mama Herta." Herta had a warm smile on her face. She was tall for a woman and slightly plump. She wore a chef's outfit, complete with a chef's hat, which featured the symbol of her guild. Her skin was tanned, and a pair of bug-looking antennas poked out of her head. Her legs from the knee down were different as well, being a pair of long metallic limbs that hummed with the same energy that fueled Olem's body. "It's been a while since we had anyone join through the Knight test."
"Yeah." Another woman said, letting out a tired sigh. "It's been a while since anyone willingly joined this shithole. So which is it? Suicidal or just dumb?"
This woman was somehow even taller than Mama Herta. She was nearly seven feet tall and had a scowl on her face. Silvery-white hair fell down her back, being messy and untamed, and heavy black bags rested under her eyes. She was also dressed way too well for someone hanging out in a trash heap, having on an expensive black suit and coat. Like Ghost, she didn't look like a mutant, but Olivia could tell that something was wrong. It was a strange feeling in the back of her mind, but she couldn't place her finger on it.
It was the same feeling she got from Ghost as well. She had a feeling Ghost wasn't actually fully human…
"Miranda," Mama Herta said, her hands on her hips. "Don't be rude." Then the woman turned to Olivia and gave a smile. "She's really sweet, trust me."
"No, she ain't." A man chuckled, sitting next to Miranda. "She's a bitch." This guy was almost as big as Olem but was made of flesh and blood. He wore leather armor that was tearing and snapping as it struggled to contain his body, which was incredibly round and fat. His flesh was pink, and he had a pig-like nose and hooved feet. He grabbed another plate of burgers and ate them, swallowing the dish whole.
"Be nice to your sister, Gormay." Mama Herta let out another sigh. "You two are going to scare the new girl." The woman managed to give Olivia another smile. "I promise it's not so bad once you get the hang of things."
"Hohoho!" The final person to be seated at the bar was someone who looked human but still gave off a weird vibe. He was a little plump like Mama Herta and was also extremely old with a gray beard and a balding head. His arms were muscular, though, and he was dressed in heavy chain mail armor. Next to him was a massive mace that was nearly five feet long. "Good to see you." The man gave a grin and a thumbs-up. "I was the recruit before Pock, so he and I are still learning things, hohoho. It's nice having a new face around. My name is Clause? And you?"
"Olivia." Olivia held her hand out and winced slightly as the old man gripped it. He was shockingly intense.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Olivia." Clause gave a hearty laugh again. Olivia got the feeling that he and Pock were a lot alike.
"So, is this everyone?" Olivia asked, looking around the room. Pock, Olem, Ghost, Falco, Miranda, Mama Herta, Clause, and Gormay. With Laerton, that made nine members.
Mama Herta shook her head. "No, we have others, dear. Four of our members are currently on a mission. Ragna wrote back and said he'll return soon. You and your friend over there can get settled in for the meantime, and Ragna will be the one who leads you two. He's the one we have look after new members."
"Don't bother Ragna with training them." Olivia turned when she heard the voice, and she looked at the final person who was in the room. He was separated from the others, sitting in front of a large arcade machine and playing some fighting game. He wore baggy black clothes and had the hood all the way up, keeping his back to her and everyone else, so she couldn't see his face.
"Ah, that's Vlad." Clause clicked his tongue. "He's always brooding. Just leave him be." Then, the elderly man shot a look at Davi, who still stood near the entrance with Olem, Falco, and Pock. "Hey, what's your name?"
"Davi," Davi called out across the room.
"Well, Davi!" Falco suddenly stood next to Davi and gave a large grin, his beak opening slightly. He threw an arm around Davi's shoulders and glanced at Olivia. "You know, it's nice we got new members and all, and I'm sure you guys want to rest, but, well… We gotta know what you two can do. See, around here, you carry your own weight."
"Is this some sort of hazing tactic?" Davi asked flatly.
Falco just chuckled again. "Something like that." He snapped and pointed his thumb toward the door. "Outside. I want to see just how far I can push you two."