《Garden of Thorns *Lit RPG*》V2 Chapter 7.5 : 151 at the Association.
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151 was now making his way to the Hunter's Association, with the tag on his left breast.
'Special Dungeon Unit Commander of Section 1' He stepped inside as people looked at 151 with the coat hanging by his shoulders, a saber to the left of his hip. A dagger on his right breast pocket, a pistol to his thigh. Walking in as his footsteps didn't make a sound but his pressence was clearly noticed. Still wearing his twin filter gas-mask instead of his one filter gas-mask from his initial debut.
Where by the Association counter, there had been something new placed there. A new little tag had been placed 'SDU unit for commissions.'
"Em. Excuse me. Are you the one called 151?" An association receptionist asked. A timid voice, if this was Azteris. 151 would have berated her for lacking in that department but this was another place with another culture. A Hunter, but with the class of 'Cleric'. Yet she seemed so nervous,shaking as she looked at 151.
"Is it because of my mask that makes you uncomfortable?" She nodded, Commander 151 took off his peaked cap. Placing his fingers at the back off his head. Pressing the button as he took off the mask. The receptionist's eyes lit up. Looking at the face that had scars and the blue streaks of his eyes.
The other Hunters took a moment to look at 151's features. Gray hair that was short and neat. Fitting for a military man.
"This counter will be for when Hunters wish to request for aid of SDU in dungeons.. Erm. I." She was losing her focus, she was avoiding 151's eyes. Was it because of the scars? It made 151 be a bit conscious. Was the scars on his face that much?
"Calm down. Don't rush yourself." 151 said, though he couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable not wearing his mask.
The receptionist's name card fell out. 'Hanayo' which 151 could see her panicking. It was like her nervousness was eating her alive, 151 put his coat over her shoulders.
"Calm down. I suggest you head back to the reception. Take 10 deep breaths. Alternate breathing between 5,7 and 10 seconds. Do it at random. Don't be conscious about the timing. Focus on calming your nerves."
"I'm sorry. It's my 2nd day and I.. I don't... I don't know."
"It must be the overwhelming energy because of the Hunters that have been gathering around as well as this murky aura that was floating around." 151 said as they see a rouge rose appeared by his side.
"Purify." Throwing the rose into the air as it exploded into petals made of energy, where it was giving a calming air to the Hunters inside. 151 walked on over to the SDU Counter, using his index finger to wipe across the table. It was clean but not up to his standard of being spotless. 151 turned to the Hunters inside.
"My name is Commander 151. You will address me as 151. I will be handling requests for the Special Dungeon Units. These are Familiars that you can hire to aid you in Dungeons.They are not included in the minimum headcount of 15! They are meant to act as aids. To those of you that are interested! Bring me your Dungeon Permit and the Dungeon details. There will be a fee imposed but the fee will be scaled according to Dungeon Pay. That will be all." 151 said as he took his seat by the counter.
A Hunter walked on over, a teenage boy. Basic equipment, but it was being damaged. Bringing some papers for 151 to look through. E-Rank Dungeon, the Dungeon Permit was for E-Rank but this Hunter's equipment was in bad shape.
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"How much can you pay?"
"15 thousand. That's all I can spare." 151 looked at the teenager from top to bottom. A smudged face, he was dirty. The kind that spoke to 151 that he had been doing this without rest. 151 then took out his saber putting it in front of the teenager.
"You're the first person to ask for help. That's a brave thing to do. A squad of Troopers will aid you." The Azteris Troopers appeared from behind the counter, marching over to the teenager. 151 pulled his sheathed saber, placing it in front of the teenager.
"I don't know your circumstances, but take this as a bonus. Use this blade instead of what you're using. Your weapon will break at any given time."
"I.. I can't take this."
"Not up for debate. Payment will be after your dungeon's completion. Have a good hunt, Hunter." The teenager smiled as he took the weapon, as the four Troopers followed the teenager from behind. 151's back was as straight as a ruler, he pulled out a laptop for him to use. A bag appeared in front of him, where 151 pulled out multiple radios.
Another party came over, they were F-Ranks. A party of 15 Hunters.
"Yes, how may I help you?"
"Erm. We came from the Hunter Training Grounds... They told us that we can hire a Familiar to help us. We can pay 5 thousand each."
"Vizel." Vizel the White Rose Knight. The Rose of Guilty made his appearance, a tall being that exhumed power in his steps.
"Help these Hunters. If an enemy that can kill them has been spotted, focus on keeping the Hunters alive. Do what you have to. Take a radio and update me the situation."
"Yes, sir."
"Payment will be done after the dungeon's completed. This is Vizel. He's a tank type. I trust his judgement, he can aggro enemies to lock onto him if you need breathing room. He's also the type who likes to fight. So in the event you need to back away from it. Let him whittle them down. You can also ask combat tips from him. Have a good hunt, Hunters." The others left.
"What's a Familiar handling the SDU request? You think you're some hot shit because you're a commander of some powerful Familiar group?" 151 ignored the words of the B-Rank that was in front of him. Continued to type away at the laptop, he was preparing reports.
"How may I help you? If you have nothing better to do, then leave."151's glare froze the B-Rank Hunter in place. The B-Rank was freezing, cold sweats forming all over his body.
"I'm sorry about my friend. We do want to request aid. We're facing demons in a dungeon. We had to leave because the enemy was too strong. I've got the details right here." 151 turned to a lanky man who was carrying a grimoire in hand.
"It's fine. Let me look at the details." The demons were a mix of cultists, with a few demon knights and demon barons.
"This is quite the number. I'll give you 5 squads. Troopers, Alpha Blade Wolf." The 5 squads of 5 troopers appeared along with Alpha Blade Wolf that stood on its hind legs to look at 151.
"Reporting in for duty." Alpha Blade Wolf said, where 151 patted the robotic wolf's head.
"Troopers. Be blessed. You got demons. Poor bastards consist of the usual cultist, a few demon knights and demon barons. I think just three squads are enough and you have Blade Wolf to help you as well. But, I also feel that two more squads will help."
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"Yes, Sir!"
"Good. Join these B-Rank Hunters and be sure to keep the heads of the demon barons and demon knights. Hunter the payment for this will be 75 thousand. I trust that will be fair?"
"Yes, we'll pay it now."
"Sorry, but policy dictates that it will be paid after the dungeon's completion. The rule is that SDU helps keep Hunters alive. My men are experts at demon extermination. Trust them. They can handle themselves. Have a good hunt, Hunters." This was the duty of 151 who was manning the counter.
Not a boring job as he was getting updates from the teams via the radios. A lot of them were reporting in quickly. The other Hunters were hearing the calls.
"Updates." 151 said.
"This is Trooper 955. Demons confirmed! We've taken down the cultist groups, sir! Now engaging Demon Knights and Demon Barons! Augh Oh ho! One got my arm. I'll just use the vest, Commander!"
"Make sure you do it without hurting the Hunters." An explosion was heard.
"This is 955. Still alive, using magic to reattach my arm. We're good to go. Took down 2 demon knights. The Hunters took down one baron! Sorry Commander, we got careless!"
"Keep at it. Report back later."
"This is Vizel engaging hob goblins.An entire swarm, enemies focused on me. I've had those F-Ranks stay the distance while I whittle them out. They're careless. Not keeping track of health and mana. Had a few close calls."
"I see. Keep at it, Vizel. Use your powers if you have to."
"Yes, sir." Commander 151 began typing the updates from the teams. The Lord of Thorns made the plan to ensure that they would live and that the fee will be low to ensure that every single Hunter could get access to them. The Hunters came back, where 151 gave them reports of the after action to pass to the Association Reception to inform them of the pay. The teenager came to return 151's saber.
"Thanks to you. I might be able to help my mother." 151 looked at the Troopers that accompanied the teenage Hunter.
"Doesn't feel right to take fee from a kid who's trying to help his mother. At least he got to help his mother. Mine just died being eaten by a demon." A trooper said where the other two nodded.
"This is a one time only. Get yourself a better sword, and better gear. You can request us at the fee of 5 thousand until you rank up."
"Thank you." The teenage Hunter went off with his pay check. Roughly making 30 thousand just from that Dungeon alone. More people came by to request for aid. 151 kept sending Familiars. Though when it was an A-Rank Hunter Party requesting for a Dungeon aid. 151 could feel their strength, not on par as the S-Ranks that he had fought but their magic power was somewhere below Margen's level but not the strength. Their magic profficiency was there.
"How much for an A-Rank Party?"
"9 hundred thousand." The A-Rank party began to discuss matters with each other. They were thinking if it was going to be a good pick.
"We'll pay it. Do we have to pay upfront?"
"No need. What guild are you with?"
"Jesters." 151 tapped his fingers, then changing the amount to 6 hundred thousand.
"Payment will be made after the dungeon's clear. Black Waltz, White Waltz, Azure Resound." The three figures appeared, Azure Resound was shouldering his scythe, wearing a blue tailcoat. White Waltz was in a white suit wielding a pair of daggers while Black Waltz was holding a shotgun.
"These three will accompany you.Your fee has been reduced because of the fact that you are part of Jesters as per my master's request and also because I am getting magic lessons from Margen."
"You've fought with our Guild Leader?" One of them asked.
"Yes. He's taught me a lot in our little battle. The three that you see here are S-Ranks but they are not magic attackers. From your composition, they can help to even the odds in case your enemies are Magic Resistant." 151 said, looking at Azure Resound who let out a sigh.
"Well monsters are everywhere. It'll be fun to cut through targets. Might learn a few things."
"You're too excited about cutting things up, Azure. Can't you be more like Black?" White Waltz said as she put the two daggers to her right hand, her left hand pinched Azure Resound's nose.
"Ah. I'm kidding, sister! Brother in law, help me!" Azure Resound was calling for Black Waltz who did not seem bothered, just scratching his head as he let out a sigh. Seeing Azure Resound struggling.
"Sweetie, just let your poor brother be. We got a job to do. So how much we being paid?"
"1 hundred thousand each. The other 1 hundred thousand will be to help the others." The trio nodded as they headed off with the A-Rank party.
30 Hunters. 10 magic users, 5 tanks, 5 marksmen and 10 melee Hunters. The three Ensemble members joined them in the truck to the location of the Dungeon. They were nervous that much the Ensemble could tell. One of the magic users, a Witch was squeezing her thumbs. Her legs were crumbling and her eyes were a tell that she was terrified.
"This Dungeon's got a 50% casualty rating. It's normal for us to be scared." The Captain of this Party, Liyana said as she held her staff. The touch of nervousness in her hands was understandable.
"Being afraid of death is good. It makes you fight with all your might to live." Black Waltz's words were true but it was also grim. White Waltz smacked the back of his head.
"What was that for?"
"It's not nice to say that when they're scared too. Be nice!" White Waltz began to scold her husband who was loading his shotgun, then his pistols. The scolding had eased some of the Jester's Hunting Party, making it easier bit by bit. Easing the tension between them all.
"What we're a comedy routine now? I'd prefer being one after I skin something alive. Kinda wonder what this dungeon place is like."
"We only know it's a city. But we don't know what kind of monsters lurk in it." Liyana said with a weak voice. Her voice was cracking, perhaps the fear of death was slowly consuming them? One of them was holding his left ring finger. It was something people would do on reflex when they feel uncertainty or rather anxiousness.
The three Ensemble members understood that feeling, the fear of the unknown. When they stepped out of the truck. Keeping their stoic pride as Hunters from Jesters. Putting on the bravest face as reporters and other Hunters were outside the dungeon's portal. They were ready, stepping through the dungeon portal to find themselves standing in a ruined city. Vacant of life but the monsters that were present? They were orcs that had equipment similar to that of Hunters. They were looting the dead Hunters and it seems that they were ready for their arrival. The Orcs came by the hundreds.
"Ready yourselves. Tide of war!" Liyana raised her voice as an ocean came from behind pushing the orcs back. Azure Resound leaped upwards to a vantage point, seeing the orcs trying to stand back up. That gave him an idea.
'Combat Skill Activated : Opening Falsetto. The start of Azure Resound's Combat sequence. Attacks have increased sharpness up to 200%.'
"That's just how he is. We'll make a mess, take on whichever ones you can. Sweetie, mark my targets!" Black Waltz said as he readied a rifle while White Waltz headed into the fight.
'Combat Skill Activated The Waltz of Harm. : White Waltz and Black Waltz combo sequence. White Waltz marks the targets, Black Waltz finishes them off with the rifle. Aggro goes to White Waltz.' Azure Resound and White Waltz were cutting through the Orcs like they were nothing. The Jesters were attacking with their might but because of the weapons acquired by the orcs made the fight slightly more difficult. Their attacks chipped quarters of their HP within seconds but the number of them was difficult. The Hunters were cutting through but when they were slowly losing their stamina, that was when the three Ensemble took over.
"Get yourselves healed up. Those two can take it from here. Don't push yourselves too much. Now we know why a few Hunter teams never made it back. It's a war of attrition." Black Waltz spoke his thoughts as he kept firing the rifle, swapping to a shotgun as he fired heavy hitting slugs through the gaps of the looted gear. The neck, and the eyes. Racking the shotgun with his targets in sight. The trigger did the work, his shoulder took the recoil as if it was nothing. Swapping over back to the rifle, firing bullets to harass the orc's bodies. Causing them to lose power in their swings and their movements.
The stock was deep rooted in Black Waltz's chest, a magazine appeared to his left hand as he reloaded the rifle. Left hand smacking the bolt back into battery. Rifle ready, he continued firing as the Hunters were breathing heavily.
Liyana was stumbling only to be caught by Azure Resound, their eyes met where Azure Resound smiled to her. Then helping her back to her feet. Where Black Waltz took his place.
'Combat Skill : The Lover's Kills. : Black Waltz and White Waltz take turns leading the dance, cutting through the enemies.' Azure Resound was now on the defensive, he was shouldering his weapon as he waited for things to change. For the tide to turn, for the melody to call for him. The melody itself was harmonizing for Black Waltz and White Waltz who were mirroring each other. Cutting through the enemies as they stepped close. Their gazes met as they would cut down the next target. Carrying the heavy claymore to cut down the enemies ahead. Then switching to katanas to make quick work of the other Orcs.
This dungeon was not yet finished, the Orcs were the small fries as footsteps began to cause the ground to rumble. Seeing ogres that were ready for a bout. Even now, they could see two trolls that were leading them. The trolls were as tall as buildings.
"This might be tough on our end. Commander 151, is it okay to request for some reinforcements?"
"You already have one. You know him all too well." Pillars of ice began to block the monster's path to the Hunters. It was Fitz who was standing on the pillars of ice. They were shaped like humans, posing like art pieces for all to see.
"Yo, Fitz." Azure Resound greeted.
"Sup. You guys doing alright? Oh yeah. For the Hunters, I've bought some potions for MP and HP. Along with some potions to help reduce fatigue." Fitz jumped down as he brought the potions.
"Are you a Hunter?"Liyana asked as she drank the potions that had been brought.
"Yep. I just started. I got an offer from the Jesters. I'm an A-Rank. Sorry for being late!" Fitz said, bringing over the stuff as the ice began to break, where he sheathed the gunblades.
"I think the Hunters are ready for a fight." They were back to full strength. The tide of war by Liyana had drenched the orcs and the trolls, followed up by lightning bolts smiting the orcs in an instant. Following it up by an ice wave spell that froze the enemies solid. Where the melee Hunters unleashed their attacks that crushed the enemies all in one fell swoop.
"We should have stocked up on potions. If we knew that then fights won't be as tiring." Liyana groaned as they all immediately fell down.
"You should buy more potions to reduce fatigue. It'll help in the long run. It seems that you're all used to short fights and not prolonged ones. Though that is the Jester's main weakness." Fitz spoke up.
"Watch your mouth newbie!" Another Hunter bellowed with a clenched fist. Throwing a jab at Fitz, who shattered into dust.
"Easy. Easy. It's not a bad thing but you're all just heavy hitters like Margen but Margen never told you to fight like him did he? You're stuck at A-Rank because you use your magic like you're all S-Ranks. But it's best to accumulate the mana you have and increase your strength as much as you can before anything else. So don't throw a bitch fit. There's plenty of ways to train mana, but you guys don't think about research." Fitz said as he snapped his fingers to the right turning the entire street and the buildings within a 10 kilometer radius into ice.
"I just used 5% of my MP with that, but to train mana. It's going to be painful and it may kill you but if you want to be as strong as Margen. I'll teach it but you have to go on the resolve that you'll die." Fitz, the Cold Cage was in peak form.
"You're just 16 and you're like the most lethal 16 year old we know. So you going to school?"
"Yeah. I'm starting tomorrow, as a bodyguard." This'll be a doozy.
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