"So, let's start with introductions, shall we?" Richard started the conversation after Heron was done with the meal. "Heron, you've gotten to know me just as Richard, but my name is Richard Pridens. I'm the leader of our party called Valiant Cry. Our party specializes in monster hunting, but we also don't shy away from other work such as escort missions, item retrievals and other quests that pop up from time to time."
"The one with the key is Irene," Richard said, turning to the two women on his right. "She's our healer, though don't let that fool you; she's seen more action than most warriors I know. And that's May," he nodded toward the woman in the butterfly-embroidered blouse. "She's our youngest member and the aerial specialist. You haven't lived until you've seen her dance through the air during a fight."
"You met Lucia," Richard continued, now turning to his left. "She is our archer. She has various arrows in her arsenal; she imbues them in various substances."
"Next to her is Icarus. He is our plant expert. But he also has several special abilities, which you wouldn't tell from his appearance. And the last member is Almir. He uses a sledgehammer but is also efficient in hand-to-hand combat."
He stood from his desk and came over to Heron with a piece of parchment. "This is your provisional licence, Heron of Haugstad. Prove yourself of value, and you'll get a permanent one and a passport."
Heron nodded. "Thank you for giving me the chance."
"Alright, now that formalities are over, everyone do as you please with our newest member." Richard said, smiling.
Why did that sound more menacing than it should have been? Heron thought as he looked towards May and Lucia, who were first to get up and made their way towards him.
May started first, her face breaking into a bright smile. "Oh! Is this our boar-wrestling friend? Lucia's been telling us all about your adventure."
"Don't worry, Heron, I left out some stuff," Lucia cut in with a smirk.
"I shall think of a nickname!" May declared. "Heron sounds too serious."
"Umm, thanks, but I really don't need one," Heron said embarrassingly.
"Don't be ridiculous; you need to know the difference when I'm scolding you." May rebutted.
"Okay, and do you have a nickname then?" Heron asked.
"Airhead," Lucia jumped in promptly.
"Lucia!" May pouted. "You know that is not my nickname. I don't get scolded by myself."
"It is unofficial, but you earned it fair and square after the dragon incident," Lucia added with a pointed look at May.
"That was one time!" May protested. "And how was I supposed to know that dragon could fly?"
"Because it had wings?" Icarus suggested dryly, causing several members to chuckle.
"Do I want to know why May doesn't know dragons fly?" Heron asked.
"It was that one dragon!" May protested. "I was sure it couldn't. It was just walking around. Why would you choose to walk when you can fly?"
"Because its prey can't May. It was hiding on the ground." Icarus said coldly.
"Well, I learned from it. It was my first dragon too." May humphed.
Irene studied Heron with careful eyes. "You should be resting," she said in a professional tone. "The city healer's work is adequate, but you're still a bit pale."
"Richard asked me to come," Heron responded, his voice still carrying traces of exhaustion.
"Of course he did," Irene sighed, shooting Richard a disapproving look. "Man has no patience. Well, since you're here, at least let me do a quick check-up later."
"Don't be such a worrier, Irene," May said cheerfully, sliding a mug of something warm toward Heron. "Here, drink this. It's just spiced cider, but it'll help with the tiredness."
"Oh, and since you are here provisionally and we get to vote later on your full-time membership, I think it is important to make strong bonds. May was now looking at Heron with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Say, Heron, you wouldn't happen to have a few coins to spare for a round of cards?"
Heron blinked. "Are you... trying to extort me for your vote?"
"Extort is such an ugly word," May said cheerfully. "Think of it as an investment in team bonding! Besides, what else are you going to do with those coins while you're recovering?"
Heron sighed. "Fine, you can have a few coins."
"Don't encourage her," Icarus warned. "Once she starts asking for loans, she keeps coming back."
"Too late, Ikki!" May's grin widened. "And since our friend here is being so generous with his coins, I think I'll call him... Hikki! Yes, Hikki and Ikki - my two favorite grumps."
Heron looked at Icarus. "Is she always like this?"
"Unfortunately," Icarus sighed. "And it gets worse after she's had a few drinks."
"Alright, May. Let Heron breathe," Almir chimed in. "You'll have plenty of time to get to know each other during his probation. And Heron, don't underestimate May. She is being silly now, but when it comes to the field, you should take some pointers since you'll also be doing close combat."
"Thank you, Almir," May said, smiling.
"And yet he has no nickname," Icarus pointed out.
"Well, Ikki, I wouldn't dream of scolding Almir. He is just a nice guy all around."
"Who has the arm strength to break you like a twig," Icarus added.
"A thought that didn't even cross my mind," May played dumb.
"So, Heron, which weapon is going to be your primary one?" Icarus asked.
"I'm going to stick with the sword. Mine is smaller and old, but hopefully I'll earn some money to replace it with something new."
"You can go with an augmented weapon," Lucia said.
"What is an augmented weapon?" Heron asked.
"A weapon that draws power from tainted crystals." Icarus explained.
"Nah, I think I'll pass on the idea. My experience with anything using crystals hasn't been great so far." Heron replied.
"Well, you will need something basic at least for demons. They are easy to manage but can only be removed with crystal powers. Which makes augmented weapons convenient these days." Icarus said.
"I heard back at my village something about these demons. They cause problems for villagers since they can't be attacked with standard weapons. Yet you say they are easy to manage?"
"Yes, unlike monsters, they don't seem to do much physical damage, but if you get encircled, they can drive you mad. Which is not a problem since you just pull out a crystal-powered weapon and they disperse." Icarus explained.
"Sounds like they were tailored for villagers, considering we'd never use crystals."
"Who knows? Clergy just marked them as spatial anomalies. It is true that they are no threat to the citizens, which makes them even more annoying as we waste time going out, only to beat them in a matter of minutes." Icarus said..
"Yes, it would be far easier for villagers just to have at least one of their own using a crystal tool for the occasion. But what can you do? We should force no one to use crystals against their will. It would take them to the dark side eventually," Almir said.
"What dark side are you talking about?" Heron asked.
"Well, far be it from me to speculate, but there seems to be a trend of people worshiping the abyss. Which is worrisome. I mean, why would you worship the idea of your soul ending in eternal blackness?"