Later that day when Nova arrived at the Hunters' Association headquarters, the weight of his mission settling in his chest was heavier than he thought but, he was not scared, he was getting used to the way things were in Etarion already.
He looked up at the towering building, which stood as a symbol of order and discipline within the city. Yet within its tall walls, corruption had begun to fester, and the reason was mixed. There was no solid grounding—rogue hunters working in the shadows, masking their true intentions under the term of being loyal members. There was only a suspicion for now, but Nova had a feeling it was going to be more than that.
Nova exhaled deeply as he pushed open the heavy doors to the building. Inside, the grand hall was already bustling with activity, like usual hunters were preparing for their next missions, while some were only just returning, some submitting reports, and others boasting about their latest kills or taking someone else's credit.
Nova looked around the area, as he walked in, hoping to spot one of the members of the so-called rogue group, naturally they were supposed to approach new recruits first.
Nova's path to joining the group was clear, he needed to sell the act of being the new recruit with lots of potential who could be of use to them in the future, it was the only way he would be able to join, otherwise his chances would be next to none.
At the same time, a man leaning on a nearby pillar, looking at Nova's every move intently, caught his attention. The man was tall, had short brown hair, blue eyes and a mark spreading across the top of his chest, which was visible due to the top of his shirt being unbuttoned. He was looking at Nova with an almost analytic gaze, sizing him up to test his worth.
The man pushed himself off of the pillar and approached Nova, with his eyes narrowed, skepiecally, "So, you are the new guy?" He asked, his tone low and measured, with a hint of authority, that Nova did not miss.
"That depends on who is asking," Nova responded, with a shrug and the guy scoffed.
The man smirked, sizing him up, "You have got some nerve kid, that is a good thing, I do like it, I am one of the leaders of another group within the association, I take it you being new you do not have one?" He asked.
"Uh... Yes, I do not have one I only recently joined the Hunter's Association," He responded and the guy let out a thoughtful hum.
"Well, since that is the case and we are currently in the middle of recruiting new members, our group is quite big, if I am being honest, since you are all alone here and you are still getting used to things, if you like you can come and take a look at what ours looks like, come with me," He said as he walked away.
Nova's eyes narrowed, as he looked at him and then followed him through the association, weaving past other groups of hunters in their own areas.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached a secluded corridor leading to a restricted area within the building and Nova's brows furrowed as he looked around. The man knocked twice on a reinforced door before it creaked open, revealing a dimly lit chamber where five individuals sat by a table, all of them exuding an air of danger and there were many other members within the room.
When he walked in, their gazes locked onto him, all of them looked as though they were sizing him up, one of them, a woman named Zara, with sharp grey eyes and short dark hair, studied Nova intently with open skepticism. "This is the recruit? He looks soft." She commented, striking a nerve within Nova.
Nova met her gaze with a steely one of his own. "You seem to need glasses on those eyes of yours, maybe you are not seeing well, want to test that theory?"
The group burst out laughing at his response including the one that brought him to meet them and the woman's brows twitched in irritation, she scoffed and looked away with her arms crossed, unable to find a sensible retort, but the leader—Dravon himself—leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. His presence alone commanded attention.
"Since you are new here and one of my most trusted brought you, I need to see your file," Dravon said, his voice deep and calm as he kept his gaze fixed on Nova.
Nova nodded and looked in his bag before handing the file to him, which he collected and began going through, "Necromancer Mage, I see you have a good record despite being a lately awakened, you also passed the trial easily. But I do not trust papers easily. So, if you really think you deserve to be here, if you want in? You will have to prove yourself to me first, the others do not matter, what matters here is my approval."
Nova looked at him and then nodded, due to what he had been told before, he had expected this much to say the least. "Alright, I understand and I want to probe myself, so what do you need me to do?" He asked.
Dravaon raised a brow before he exchanged glances with a few others of his members, before speaking. "Let us start a bit mid-tier since you are a newbie in many forms, each new recruit is tested in a fight, not against us but a monster of juice and once defeated, you get the rewards of taking the beast down, if you can kill it, within twenty minutes, we will let you in."
Nova frowned slightly as he looked at him, he knew there was more to it, he had a feeling in his gut. "Alright, I will do what needs to be done as long as I get my cut," He replied.
"Great, at least you are willing to do what it takes, so far. This world is changing. The association doesn't care about real hunters anymore but, we on the other hand do, which is why things within our group are... Let's say different. They follow rules made by cowards, while we fight to survive. The strong should decide what happens to prey, not politicians in fancy robes," He said.
Nova kept his expression neutral as he listened to his words, that alone only heightened his suspicions, but he wanted to see where this would all lead. "And my role in this?"
Dravon leaned back as he looked at him. "If you pass the test, you will be with the main team since your talents are useful. You are to follow my orders and if you hesitate? You may not leave certain places alive."
That right there, was an unspoken threat and Nova knew it, however he looked him dead in the eyes, his demeanor betraying no emotion.
"I understand, then I am in," He said, his tone firm, leaving no room for doubt.
But in the back of his mind Nova already knew one thing, from theway Dravon was looking at him—this mission would test more than just his skills. It would test where his loyalty truly lay.