Sora frowned and said, “But I have to share a room with that jerk, Zack, right?”
Kai asked, “What’s wrong with sharing a room with Zack?”
Sora replied, “Well, he irks me, considering the fact that we have unfinished business.”
They made their way to the third floor and entered the ward, which was now only occupied by Zack. He was already in a bad mood, probably because of his fans storming into his room, and the sight of Sora didn’t make him feel any better.
Sparks flew between them. Kai cleared his throat and said, “Behave yourselves. I don’t want you causing trouble inside the infirmary. You wouldn’t want the doctor to–”
“What wouldn’t you want me to do, Kai?”
Kai’s expression stiffened for a moment as he turned to face a young man with black hair and green eyes. He had a pair of lopsided glasses and was wearing a lab coat. Sora didn’t understand the sudden change in the atmosphere when this man entered. Kai was unusually polite and even Zack was forcing a smile. But what shocked Sora the most was the way in which the man standing in front of him entered the room without anyone noticing it. He had erased all traces of his presence.
Kai said cautiously, “Hey Dr. Reed. How are you today?”
Dr. Reed replied, “I’m fine, Kai. I see that Zack and the new kid are awake. By the way, what wouldn’t you have wanted me to do?”
“N…nothing Doctor,” stuttered Kai. “I was telling Sora not to strain himself. I told him that he wouldn’t want to worry you too much.”
“Yeah,” agreed Zack.
“Is that so?” asked Dr. Reed, smiling. He then turned to Sora, who was sitting uncomfortably on his bed. “So you’re the new recruit, who surprised everyone in the test. I’m Dr. Reed, Lucifer’s Fall’s head doctor. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Sora replied, “L…likewise. Hope we can get along well.”
Dr. Reed examined both Zack and Sora and said, “The two of you were pretty beat up when you were brought in. But you’ll both be totally fine by the end of the day.” He turned to leave but stopped at the door and said, “By the way, Sora, please note that the welcoming party for all the new members will take place tonight. Everyone expects to see you there. There are a total of eight new recruits from this year’s test.” He then left the room and closed the door.
Sora said, “Eight? Seven other contractors got through? But all of them were knocked out in an instant!” Kai said, “The other seven held up against Zack for a whole minute. That’s an achievement, considering the fact that Zack’s an A rank contractor. You’re different from the rest. So don’t compare them with yourself.”
“Is being an A rank that great?” asked Sora.
“Of course it is,” Kai said. “Let me explain the ranking system in the guilds. There are five levels in which contractors are categorized. The lowest level is D rank. Every new contractor, including you, starts from this level. As you complete more jobs and missions, which are assigned according to your level, you get more reputation and will be promoted to the next level, the C rank. Then comes rank B and A, and finally S rank. The mission’s difficulty and reward increase as you go to a higher level. Right now, Zack is an A rank and I am S rank. So you can imagine how strong we must be.”
Sora was quiet for a minute and then said, “But I was on a par with an A rank contractor, wasn’t I?” He smirked at Zack. Zack sat up and growled, “Don’t get cocky, you second rate! I was wearing weighed clothing of 50 kg the whole time. I could have killed you any time I wanted if I was wearing normal clothes.”
Sora was taken aback and said, “You wore clothes of TCW 50 kg as well?”
Kai said, “Hold on, both of you were wearing weighed clothes the whole time? Why?”
Zack replied, “I didn’t think that I needed to give my all against that trash.”
Sora replied, “I forgot I was wearing them. But if we fought again, I’ll be the one to win.”
“Oh yeah?” flared up Zack. “Hell yeah!” shouted Sora.
“Both of you shut up,” said Kai. “Do you want to bring the doc in?”
Sora remained standing, but Zack sat back again. Sora enquired, “What the hell is so scary about Dr. Reed? You guys seemed close to wetting yourselves.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” retorted Zack. “You don’t know what happened five years ago.”
“What happened five years ago?” Sora asked.
“It’s better that you don’t know about it for now,” said Kai. Zack nodded in approval. “You’ll come to know eventually.”
Sora was about to retort when Kai said, “Enough about that matter. You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
“About what?”
“How about your two years in Blood Hill forest, for starters. You must’ve lost it, going to such a place when you were at that level. Why did you go there?”
Sora replied, “Hey, I didn’t know it was Blood Hill forest till after a week later. I had sensed some strange ki from there when we travelled to Kanto city a few years ago, which is located not too far from there. I was curious so I told you I was going to train on my own there for the last two years. It was really creepy at first but I couldn’t have gotten this strong without staying there. My instincts and sense of smell improved to an abnormal level. Fighting those A-grade beasts was awesome!”
Kai let out a sigh and said, “Anyway, don’t do things too recklessly from now on. You’ll get into a lot of trouble if you do.”
He turned to leave and said, “I’ll get you a change of clothes for tonight. Zack, show him the way to the party hall. And don’t even think about starting a fight, you two.”
The sun had set in Gildartz City. Zack and Sora made their way to the highest floor of the headquarters. Both of them were wearing weighed clothes with a TCW of 80 kg. “Just how many of these clothes does Kai have?” asked Sora. Zack ignored this question and said, “Listen to this carefully. Don’t talk to me as though you’re of equal status. I am the sole heir to the Titania family, one of the ten elite noble families of Gara, and under direct rule of the princess of the Royal Government. Know your place and show some respect, you commoner.”
“Yeah, whatever you wish, my liege,” said Sora, yawning. “Wonder if Mac has some good food laid out. I’m starving”
“You little–” started Zack, but was interrupted by the sound of the elevator door opening, revealing a room as big as the dining hall forty eight floors below. Guild contractors were talking and laughing all around them. It was like an informal party, with everyone wearing casual clothing. Sora caught the scent of food and was looking around when someone called out, “There you are.” He turned to see Kai walking towards him. He said, “Glad you found the place. You’re just in time. There’re a bunch of people who want to meet you. You’ve become pretty famous.”
Sora replied, “Can’t it wait? I’m starving.”
“Don’t be a jerk, Sora,” Kai said. “You can eat later. You’ve impressed a number of people here. No one would’ve even guessed that a new recruit could match up to Zack.” He forced Sora forward and said, “Here he is, guys.”
Sora was looking at a very tall man, whose face he could see only by looking straight up. His dark skin, blond hair and muscular body gave out a sense of intimidation. He said, “Glad I could finally talk to you. You were unconscious when I met you in the hospital. My name is Steve Hancock.”
Sora said, “The Iron lord? Your appearance certainly matches your reputation as one of the five elites of Lucifer’s Fall, unlike someone else I know.” He glanced at Kai.
“He’s got quite a mouth, Kai. But he’s certainly very interesting,” Steve said with a laugh that shook Sora.
The conversations went on for a while. Then all the new recruits were called up and were given their personal guild badge by the guild master, Gary Lightshield. The metal plated badge showing a man stabbing a demon reflected the contractor’s faces. Gary then spoke up. Despite being very old, he gave out
an aura of great power and command.
“The man shown on the badge is the founder of the guild. Recognized to be one of the greatest contractors to have ever lived, he is most renowned for his epic victory over Lucifer, Satan’s demonic creation, over two hundred years ago. In honour of this feat, the city housing his guild was named after him, Gildartz. Lucifer’s Fall has a great reputation for assisting citizens and keeping law and order in check. Through the history of the guild, we have had famous contractors, who were recognized all over the world. Carry forth this honour and never shame our pride. From now on, you are part of the family, called Lucifer’s Fall.”
There was a huge round of applause followed by wolf-calls. Sora heard Kai shout, “Nice one, old man!”
The new recruits were told to introduce themselves. Sora noticed that, other than him, there were five men and two women. All of them seemed older than Sora but a lot more nervous. When Sora stepped up, there was a huge cheer mixed with some booing. After introducing himself, he stepped down from the stage and proceeded towards the buffet laid out at the centre of the hall.
Just before he sank his teeth into the food, he felt sharp piercing stares stab his back. He looked around and felt the stares disappear. Kai and Steve walked up to him. Sora asked, “Is it me or am I resented by some guild members?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, I just felt malicious stares on me,” replied Sora.
Kai said, “Seeing as you beat Zack up pretty badly, that’s quite understandable. He’s popular with the ladies, just like me.”
“So, basically,” said Steve, “you are now hated by almost every female contractor in the guild.”
“Ouch…” Sora said with a chuckle.
“By the way, Sora,” said Kai, “You don’t have a place to stay, do you? I guess you should take up a room inside the base till you find a place of your own. Wait till the party is over and I’ll get you a room, by asking in the lobby.”
Sora laughed and said, “Kai, I can do all of that on my own now. I’m fifteen years old. You’re embarrassing me.”
Sora turned to get more food. Kai gazed at his back for a while. Steve gave a small slap on his head and said, “They have to grow up some day. I guess being twenty-three years old makes you feel like an older brother to him. But he does resemble you in a remarkable way. His eyes are just like yours when you turned up here twelve years ago.”
“You think?” Kai asked. “I’ll consider that an insult.”
The alarm clock on the table rang at 6 a.m. There was no response from the boy sleeping on the bed next to it. It continued ringing incessantly. He lifted a lazy hand over the clock, clenched his fist and hammered it flat in one strike. Sora got up slowly and yawned widely. He stretched himself and got to his feet. Spotting the flattened clock on the bedside table, he groaned.
“Why in the world did I feel like getting up early last night? I feel like a sack. Must be because it’s been a while since I slept on a bed.” He turned to face his room, which was located on the twenty-sixth floor of the guild base.
It was fairly furnished with a television set, a mini fridge, a big computer and a wardrobe. There was even a small table with two chairs at the middle of the room. But he could smell something that resembled smelly socks from the room next door.
Sora dragged his bare feet through the warm floor mat as he made his way towards the bathroom to freshen up. When he came out, it was fifteen minutes past six. He knew it was too early to report for duty, so he wanted to take a look around the headquarters.
He changed into his usual garments of TCW 80 kg and showed his guild badge to a scanner installed next to the door exiting the room. The door slid open and Sora walked out yawning. He wandered around aimlessly through the corridor filled with rooms, as the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth floors were dormitories for guild members. Sora suddenly caught a whiff of alcohol coming from around the corner. He took a peek and was taken aback to see the guild master, Gary Lightshield, sprawled on the floor and muttering to himself.
“He must’ve gotten drunk from last night’s party,” Sora murmured. “He fell asleep even before he reached his bed.” He was just wondering about what to do when two women walked into the corridor. One of them was so elegant and beautiful that Sora was dumbstruck for a moment. She spotted Sora kneeling next to the sleeping guild master and sighed, “Grandpa overdid it again.” She faced Sora and said, “You’re Sora, aren’t you? Do you mind carrying my grandpa over to his room?”
Sora said, “Sure. But if he’s your grandpa, then you must be Sara Lightshield, the Lucifer’s Angel, right?” Sara smiled and said, “It seems you know me.”
Sora hoisted Gary onto his back and said, “Well, Kai was always talking about you, so I know quite a lot.” Despite the dim light, Sora could see her cheeks going red. He heard a small giggle from behind and turned to see the other girl who was accompanying Sara. When their eyes met, she turned away in slight revulsion. He suddenly remembered and said, “Hey, aren’t you the girl from the bank a few days ago? You’re the one with the poison stone class contract, right?”
Sara said, “It seems like both of you are already acquainted. She is Katie Smith, a B rank contractor.” They had reached a room with a fairly big door. There were no other doors on either side of this one. Sara held out her badge, which Sora noticed was platinum plated, in front of the scanner and the door slid open to reveal a huge, yet homely room. There was a king size bed at one end, where Sora laid Gary down gently. They left the room without a word. After exiting, Sara said, “Isn’t this your first day as a guild contractor, Sora? You’re up unusually early for a D rank contractor. You won’t have missions at this time.”
Sora said, “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d have a look around the place. That’s when I saw the guild master on the floor.”
Sara said, “Is that so? Well, I’d love to give you a tour of the place, but I just got back from a mission and I’m a bit tired. So Katie can show you around.” Sara then left, ignoring Katie’s silent protest. Sora said, “You don’t have to show me around if you don’t want to.”
Katie said, “Never mind. Since it’s your first day, I’ll show you how to take up a mission.”
They took the elevator to the fifth floor. Sora noticed that Katie was avoiding him. He said, “You must like Zack, right?” Katie blushed and shrieked, “Why would you say that?”
Sora said, “Kai mentioned that Zack is quite popular with the ladies, so beating the hell out of him has made me a lot of female enemies. Your attitude tells me that you’re one of them.”
“I…I don’t know what you mean.” Katie mumbled. The elevator door opened and both of them got off.
Katie, acting as if nothing had happened, said, “People come with requests to the base and give the details of the jobs with the reward fee to the clerks in the first floor. They decide on what level the jobs are and segregate it into ranks. Since all D rank contractors are novices, their missions are relatively easy and with low reward as well. After segregation, the job requests are sent to floors reserved for each rank. The fifth floor is for D rank missions.” She took him into a room with a young lady in her twenties at the counter. There was a big monitor at the back showing the guild symbol. Katie called out, “Hey Lucy, how’ve you been?” Lucy beamed and said, “Katie! It’s been a long time. What brings you here?”
Katie said, “Just showing the newbie how to take missions. This is Sora.”
Lucy stretched out her hand and said, “Nice to meet you, Sora.” Sora shook it and said, “Likewise, Ms. Lucy.” Katie looked at her watch and said, “Well, I better leave. It’s about time I start working. Bye.”
“Thanks for your help,” said Sora.
Lucy said, “Sora, I guess you want to start your first job as a contractor very soon, right? But the missions are being segregated now. So why don’t you have your breakfast and then come back? I’ll keep a mission ready by then.”
“Alright, thanks,” sai
d Sora and he left for the dining hall. When he reached the second floor, Mac was talking to another kid around Sora’s age. When Mac spotted Sora, he waved to him and beckoned him to come. He sat opposite the boy, who had brown hair and strange, red eyes. Mac said, “Sora, this is Jake Tyler. He’s a C rank contractor. I was just about to get him some food. Do you want some?”
“Yes, I’m starving,” answered the two boys together. Mac grinned as he turned to the kitchen. Sora was about to start talking when Jake said, “Nice to meet you too.”
Sora was taken aback and was about to talk again when Jake said, “Yeah, I knew what you were going to say.”
Sora opened his mouth again only to be cut off by Jake again. “Yes, I can read your mind.”
Sora said before he was interrupted again, “You’re a stone class psychic contractor?” Jake smiled and said, “Yes. Other than annoying people by reading their mind, I can also levitate objects.” He raised his hand and the plate on the table started floating. Jake grinned at Sora’s reaction. “I can do a lot of things with psychic powers. If I try hard enough, I can even make illusions.”
“And brainwash people, right?”
Jake jerked his head up as he sensed a little malice. But Sora was smiling and started drooling as Mac brought in a plate of food for both of them. While they were eating, Jake said, “Brainwash… isn’t something just anyone can do. That’s a very advanced technique…”
Sora said, “Is that so? Well, I think if you train hard enough, you can do it. But how do you train psychic powers?”
Jake said, “Unlike most of the other contracts, the psychic contract requires more mental than physical strength. I have to master my mind to master my contract. If I gain full control over my powers, I can move things even in the next city.”
“Dude, you’re scaring me,” Sora said with a grin. After a while, Sora got up, leaving a table covered with empty bowls and plates behind. Jake said, “Hey, you’re the scary one here.” Sora laughed and said, “I think I better start my first mission. Well, nice talking to you, Jake.”
Contractor: The Legendary Contract of Vento Page 6
