"He's just a farm boy. He won't even know how to use a sword, not to talk about pa.s.sing the tests." said a boy lying on a bed, polis.h.i.+ng a dagger. He had short yellow hair, though it was dirty and unkept. His eyes were brown and he had a scar on his mouth vertically on the right side. His skin was a light tan and he was the shortest of the boys, only taller than Rei. He had already worn his armor, and seemed to be waiting for the rest.

"You guys are too negative. He'll at least make good Direwolf protection. It'll take a while before they can eat through him." said the third boy, who had just woken up. He had short brown hair and light brown eyes, and was relatively neat compared to the others. He was right in the middle when it came to height and his skin was a dark cream. He was the only one smiling, though he was wearing only a pair of boxers.

The girl stayed silent, huddled in a corner. She had black hair reaching her upper neck and yellow eyes that s.h.i.+ned like a wolf's, with black painted markings around said eyes. She was taller than the one with the dagger, but shorter than the boy in boxers. Her skin was light cream in complexion and she had a scratch scar on her left arm. She looked like an animal, though she was already in armor.

"I'll introduce you to the squad." said the brown haired boy. "Tall and scrawny over there is Gars Argent. He tends to hate on... everything. But he's reliable. On the battle field, he's a monster. The guy polis.h.i.+ng the knife is Espoir Morte. He's a master of concealment. We usually just distract while he takes out the targets. I'm Pierre Résoudre, I usually wear full body plate armor to defend these morons." he said, concluding the boys. And the girl is Töröl Mayln. She's from the Agrios clan... our resident beserker. Just call her May though."

"So what's your name?" asked Morte. "...Rei Dragã." said Rei, who was now stared at by all but May. "You're a Dragã? As in one of the knight families that founded the Vanguards?... I don't buy it." said Gars who had finished wearing his armor. "We'll have to test that. Put on some armor and get ready for your entrance exam."

Rei saw some armor on a bed that he now a.s.sumed to be his, and proceeded to put it on. He was being eyed by May, who was now wearing metal claws the length of a dagger. "Pick your weapon." said Morte, kicking a box over to Rei. "How'd you get so many..." said Rei, looking at the mountain of iron in front of him. "It's from exterminations and...dead squad members....now hurry up and pick!" exclaimed Morte.

Rei hastily looked at the box and began searching for a weapon. He found an iron short sword with a little rust at the tip and took it. "Finally. We depart at noon tommorrow and we'll be given our quests by the head officer. Until then Gars will teach you how to use that." said Morte, Gars letting out a smile. "This'll be fun."

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"A sword isn't a stick you moron! Don't just swing it without reason!" shouted Gars to an exhausted Rei. "It's time." said Morte, behind him was Pierre in full body black armor and May with her claws s.h.i.+ning bright. "Tsk. Come on, 'Dragã'." said Gars, who sheathed his sword and walked to join the others. Rei picked up his sword which had been knocked away by Gars a few seconds ago and followed the group.

"Today's task. Try not to die." said a knight as he handed over a sheet of paper to Morte. "Understood Sir!" said all but May and Rei. "I can excuse the Agrios but what's your excuse boy?" said the knight. "...I'm new." replied Rei. "Don't forget next time. Respect will help you live longer." said the knight, walking away. "It's an extermination. A one-eyed imp is eating sheep on a farm. We've been asked to intervene." said Morte. "This will be your test Dragã."

"It is just an imp. I don't see why he can't do it." said Pierre. "Good luck!" he said, patting Rei on the back. "Anything else?"

"A one-eyed ogre is on its way to Sitári. It's leading a few imps and floating eyes... Seems Wilbur's killer is on the move." said Morte. "If you manage to kill the imp on time, hurry up and join us in Sitári."

Rei nodded slowly and departed for the imp's location. May watched him walk into the distance with a look of concern on her face.

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Blanche Farms was a normally sublime place, where an elderly gentleman lived out his days with his aging wife. They had servants who would tend to the farm and villagers would occasionally lend a helping hand. Known for their clean wool, they had been major suppliers to the fabric industry. Then an imp decided to settle into the farm. It had huge arms and small legs, a single tail located at his backside, a ripped up rag on its crotch, and was about the size of a human child. It had a single eye in its forehead, a big pointed nose and teeth that would take a hundred years to fix. While it looked like it could be chased away with a broom, it easily caught and carried sheep when it was hungry. It had become a nuisance. "And that is why your a.s.sistance is required." said a servant to Rei.

The boy was led to a barn which reeked of blood and corpses. The servant walked away as Rei opened the shed, to see sheep bodies everywhere. He moved cautiously, trying to make as little noise as possible. Then he heard voices.

"You left me to die, Rei... you left me on the ground crying..."

"For all your talk of becoming a man, you sure failed when the situation called for it."

"To think my son would be so pathetic. All he could do was cry while his friends burned."

"You weren't even smart enough to come to your father first...I could have lived!!!!"

Rei fell to his knees crying as he heard these accusations. He curled up into a ball and stayed like that. Then from the shadows the imp came. It inched closer to the boy prepared to bash his skull in. He reached Rei and raised his arm, prepared to have tonights' dinner. Then metal claws protuded from his head. "Imp not for trainee." May said, as the imp dropped dead. She saw the crying child and picked him up. "Home." she said as she carried Rei and dragged the imp body on the ground.