Recruitment Day (Part 1)

(AN:  I’m still working on figuring out the main story so this is just a taste of what this world is like.)

“I am a monster?  Who knows?  I’ve been called many things: hero, sociopath, psychopath, protector, and son.  You choose which to call me, for I am in no position to name myself.  The only name I know that is truly mine is Nesathion.”

~Nesathion Sangne

Welcome to the Akerran enforcer training facility.  In the country of Akerra, it’s enforcers are the ones who protect the ones that obey the law.  That is the general order they are given.

My name is Ciris, and I’m waiting for my recruitment interview.  The interviewing method is secret, and all we know is that we come face to face with the director of the enforcers, the Royal Enforcer himself.  Each interview is conducted with three recruits at a time.  As far as we know the choice of who goes together is completely random.  To register all you need to do is tell them who you are and which recruitment day you’ll be attending.  From there they investigate whether you are indeed an Akerran citizen, and if you are a known felon.  The director claims his reason for it being so simple is that he loathes over complicating things.

I’m currently standing outside of the enforcer training facility in the town of fulgura in the northern mountains.  There is currently a crowd of about thirty men and women around me waiting to be called in. Everyone here is looking nervous and have been trading rumors about the director.  “They say he has battled an army almost by himself!”

“That’s not all: he has slain more dragons than you’ll see in a lifetime!”

“I hope he’s not too scary.  I’ve never seen his face since he’s always wearing a cloak when he patrols.”

“Do you think it’s true that he has been infused with the power of dragons?”

“Come on man that sounds way too outlandish to be true.”

Their constant prattle is rather disruptive.  My annoyance was cut short by the double doors of the large building opening.  Everyone stiffened by the aura emitted by the man stepping out.  The first impression you get from him is a definite sense of him being non-human.  He has a light but athletic build, and pale as snow skin.  His shoulder length hair is the color of pure silver, and is tied back displaying his slightly pointed ears.  His eyes had slit pupils with cloudy blue iris’s that seemed to be piercing through your heart.  We all felt fear except for the ones who assumed his prowess was fabricated to build fame.  For a moment he just looked at us then suddenly pointed at three of us including me.  “You’re up first.  The rest of you can follow into the building; but don’t enter the testing room, or interrupt practice.”

Without missing a beat he turned around then walked into the building.  I quickly rushed after him with the other two recruits who were picked.  Inside the building was a large hall filled with areas to train various forms of martial abilities.  The room had warriors practicing various forms of combat, weight training, or simply running around the building.  The enforcers are required to train for a certain amount of hours each week, and have regular skill assessments to see if they still pass the skill requirements to perform their job.

The man whom I could only assume is the director walked through all the chaos without a care in the world.  Us three recruits continued to follow him into a room at the far end of the training hall.  For some reason the enforcers started openly talking about us.  For some reason their tone was grim as if watching a funeral parade.  “Poor guys.  I wonder what test he’ll choose this time.”

“Remember our entrance exam Milton?  Those things were freaky!”

“Don’t remind me. I wasn’t able to sleep for weeks.”

As we walked into the exam room these comments were not helpful in the slightest.  Based on the hellish rumors you would think the testing room would be some sort of large obstacle course fitted with horrifying traps.  In reality the testing room looked like a simple office room.  The director stepped behind the desk and picked up some papers.  “I’ll point at you three one by one.  When I point at you, you will state your name and combat class.”  (AN: “Class” in this context is a way of stating what field of combat that person specializes in.)

The director is not messing about when it comes to getting to the point.  We were completely caught off guard, and the first recruit recoiled like a startled rabbit.  “I-I’m A-Alraith sir, my class is monk!”

The monk class is not a religious or philosophical profession as you’d normally think, but is actually a lifestyle devoted to perfecting hand to hand combat.  Alraith was a big man about six feet tall maybe even taller.  with his polished bald head, chiseled features, and bulging muscles: his startled expression is quite a comical sight.

Without missing a beat the director moved to the next recruit next to me.  She was a pale woman of about medium height with short black hair.  She made a shrill squeak as if she had been threatened by a monster.  “Ilos-schah!  I’m an alchemist sir.”

Ilossa seemed to have bitten her tongue when pronouncing her name.  The director either didn’t notice or care.  He just continued the introduction and pointed at me.  “Ciris sir.  I’m a hunter.”

Tossing the notes in his off-hand aside; he pulled some miscellaneous items out of a pouch on his belt, and started a short chant.  The items in his hand dissolved and a door formed on the wall to our right.  “The exam will be happening through that door.  It’ll take you into a thought plane where you’ll have to survive.  Don’t worry you’ll be provided equipment once you’re inside.  Also since it’s a thought plane if you die inside you’ll just wake up in this room with a bad headache.  All of it isn’t real, but you can feel everything as if it is real.  Now get in there before I reschedule your exam for next year.”

We didn’t question the director.  We sprinted for the door in fear of failing before we even started.  We tore the door open and practically hurled ourselves inside.  Everything turned black.  We floated in the air for a second before suddenly falling.  “This is going to suck!”

I don’t know who screamed that last bit.  It might have even been me.  I have a bad feeling that the rumors about the test pales in comparison to the real thing.

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