"Here."
The party had left the trees, barley any time to recover from the first round. Arriving at a field below a steep cliff side, a small creek ran along its base, glistening in the sunlight. A gentle brought with it the fresh scent of flowers in full bloom, and the grasses swayed in a mesmerizing dance with each passing breeze.
Akira with the former gruff homeless man stood by a cage the size of his leg.
"Eren." Akira called over.
"Yeah?"
"We have them ready to go. Me and Mr. Jiro here found 10 of them. All beautiful and healthy too." He smiled.
'Mr. Jiro?' That was the name of the man who was once homeless, now looked like an astute member of society. Eren had never learned the man's name nor had he offered it.
The thought of those two old men in the woods. Searching for the little creatures in the grass. Humorous to imagine, a man that towered over others, his arms like logs and his chest were as thick as an oak tree, bending over in the fields with a man as old as time itself.
"Good work." Now they could move on quickly. The sooner Eren was done and fulfilled the quest, the sooner he could return home to his peaceful life.
"Everyone line up!" He ordered once more.
"You ready for the second round everyone?!" His voice bellowed loud and clear. He was slowly getting into the groove of things. Being the centre of attention was always something that made him nervous. He was not one who enjoyed the spotlight; but today, he had no choice in the matter.
"No..." Yuri murmured, annoyed that he had to stand up again. His body was aching, covered in gashes, scrapes, and slime. The boy had been beaten like a rag doll, but still, Eren paid him no mind.
"Good. For the second round; Capture these little creatures."
*Click*
The cage is open, letting out 10 small rabbit-like creatures; hoping all over the place at haste. A circular fuzzy thing, with long white ears. Its face was a big mouth that smiled from ear to ear. Little yellow eyes, that stared, and stared and stared. Its fur was like snow, a pure white, soft and fluffy. It was the most adorable creature.
"Go." He ordered. Everyone began to scatter, chasing after the little creatures. Their legless bodies were quick; bouncing around like a rubber ball, quick and nimble, moving across the field with ease.
Yuri and friends struggled to catch them. Trying to dive onto one, but they were just too quick.
*Bounce* *Bounce* *BOUNCE* *Bounce* *bounce* *Bounce*
One hopped around, avoiding all his attempts, leaving him out of breath and panting.
"FUCK!" The right hand of Yuri yelled in anger. "Worthless!" He growled, drawing a sword from his pocket.
"Stop." Eren put heavy pressure on the boy, halting the movement. He could feel the weight on his shoulders, like an anvil had been dropped on his back. His body felt heavier than normal, almost impossible to move.
A taller boy than Yuri, even Eren. A ducktail blocked out the sun, causing the boy's face to be hidden in shadow.
"Let me go you asshole. I'll kill you!"
"And I'll crush you." Eren's eyes narrowed at the young man. His pressure was released, and the young man collapsed to the floor. Gasping for air. He was angry and in pain, but the white-haired man did not care.
"If you are patient with them, they will come to you." Akira spoke up, holding the small creature in the palms of both hands.
"How?" The younger boy spoke, still trying to catch his breath. He was holding his chest, feeling the weight of Eren's pressure still lingering there.
"You'll have to find out for yourself." The old man said with a gentle smile, placing the creature gently back on the ground. With a pat on the head, it was off again, running back into the field of grass.
Like watching a child trying to catch a butterfly, it was fun to watch them struggle. All could not seem to do it at all. Yuri and the two boys were on their knees, crawling after them.
"Come here little... FUCK!" His hand was snapped on, the creature was strong, leaving a bite mark on Yuri's hand.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
Hands a light-yellow blur. He tried to punch holes through the ground. Aiming to land on the creature, missing by a wide margin each time.
"Idiot. You can't hit them." Haruto called from afar. He was the referee for this challenge, making sure that none of the competitors were harming the creatures.
"I'm going to fucking kill them!" The boy yelled to the healer, but Haruto just shook his head, knowing full well that killing those creatures was far harder than catching them.
Meanwhile, the lady with her heavy armour, was sitting in the field. A blanket and tea set neatly laid out.
Accompanied by her partner she met on the first round; the big black man, Mr. Jiro the former homeless man, and Akira. A tea set in the middle, as they talked and laughed amongst themselves. They had been the first to finish, and they had nothing better to do. Bunnies hoping around them in the grass joining in on the picnic.
Eren wanted to join; but hated the idea of introducing himself. So, he sat by himself, an intense scowl on his face watching the group. It was a strange sight to behold, the reaper with a deep frown on his face. Arms and legs crossed, a sour look in his eyes, staring at the group of people like a jealous toddler.
The old lady finally looked over to the white-haired boy. "Akira darling, who is that young man?" She gestured towards Eren.
"Eren Heart; One of the senior members of our guild." Akira answered, taking a small sip of tea from the pot she had brought with her.
"Let's bring him over. I would like to meet him." She smiled, waving to the young man, her hand covered by the bulky metal of the gauntlet.
"Eren. Come over here!"
Eren was reluctant. He had always been awkward when it came to making new friends, but this was what a guild was about, bonding with other people. Yuck.
"Hello." He greeted, looking at the two strangers. They were an odd pair, a lady in her mid-60's and a black man in a green tank top. Both had a warm smile on their face, one that could melt even the coldest of hearts, and that is what they did to Eren. On the inside at least; his still icy demanour still present.
"I am Emiko, a retired ranker." She greeted the young man; with an old but strong grip she gave a hearty handshake.
"And I'm John Reece, former member of the United States Marine Corps." He saluted the boy. Said like they were a guild of their own.
"Nice to meet you both." Eren nodded to both. A seat was offered to the Reaper and he obliged.
"A fine competition you have going on here. I'm having a blast." The lady smiled as she sipped on her tea.
"Thank you. May I ask what brought you here?"
"I'm afraid there is no grand answer. I had to get out of retirement. My husband died and left me with nothing but a big house and nothing to do." Emiko was a jolly old woman; her smile never left her face.
"So, when I saw a new guild opening, I jumped on the chance. These old bones could use a good adventure or two."
"And you? What brought you here?" Eren looked at the big man. 'What the hell is a U.S marine doing here?'
"Idols." His response was swift, and it made the white-haired boy give a confused look.
'Oh, for fucks sake. Not another battle idol fan.' He had always found that show so contrived. Battle idols were people that fought in gates, shows shown daily on television, singing about the fruits of battle, love and all the in-between. Yet riddled with product placements, faux drama, and scripted scenarios.
"Which is your favourite?" Emiko asked the man, clearly a fan herself.
"'Mizuki Aso. The dragon princess." He stated proudly. "The dragon of Kyoto."
"Oh yes. I like her too. Her voice is so beautiful. Almost angelic."
"Yes, she is. I just hope she can defeat Akari... That woman is nothing but trouble." His voice was stern. Like talking about an arch nemesis, even though it was all off a script.
"A pleasure to speak with you both." Eren quickly realized the talk would be short lived, a topic that was not in the mans interest at all.
"A pleasure Mr. Heart." John nodded back at the boy, who quickly returned to the other side. He was more comfortable watching from afar, waiting for the rest of the contestants to finish their challenge.
Competitors finally began to catch the bunnies. Patience; the lesson of this challenge finally began to shine through. The creatures loved to play games. Treat them with kindness and love and they would return it tenfold. A few minutes of gentle play and they would let themselves be captured.
Even the aggressive boys managed to learn it. Their anger would not subdue, but their tactics were more docile.
Yuri's friend from the left finally managed to capture the creature. He was holding in tears of joy.
"Finally." He said between breaths, holding onto the rabbit with a tight grip. Eren would make a note of that boy. Buzz cut and built like an old tree, solid and firm, an unmoving object.
Yuri and his duck tailed friend were not far behind, each capturing their bunnies. Their smiles wide at the prospect of winning a chance to join the Silvermane.
"Eren." Baelor approached with Minami.
"We have business to take care of." The head of the Silvermane was still in a meditative mood, yet this business was something of an utmost urgency.
"We will be back later." With a gentle nod, both the elf and the woman walked away, leaving the rest of them to the recruitment round.
"What's with them?" Jun asked, wondering why the two suddenly left.
"Business."
"Guild business?"
"I guess." The white-haired man had no idea. It was strange to see the guild master and the right-hand woman walk off like that, especially in a time of such importance.
But alas onto the last round.