Most of them look exhausted, some have scars covering their faces, and others look like they haven’t slept in days.
I’ve met slayers before, but seeing this many in one place feels different.
This is what actual war is really like.
Not one person chasing a dragon through the forest.
Not a village being attacked.
This.
An entire place dedicated to fighting.
~Impressed?
I’m a little bit impressed. This is a lot to take in.
~Are you intimidated by it at all?
No.
~Are you positive?
I’m not intimidated.
I’m just taking everything in.
The system goes silent after that.
The main hall eventually comes into view.
The guard wasn’t lying... it is easily the biggest building in the fort.
A massive stone structure sits near the center, multiple banners hang from the sides, and the same sword and dragon skull symbol appears on each one.
There are two massive doors at the entrance.
Several people are constantly moving in and out.
"Looks welcoming," I say.
Sylvia laughs before we finally head inside.
The first thing I notice is the smell of blood, metal, sweat, and something else I can’t seem to identify.
Maybe medicine.
The inside is even busier than the outside.
A huge board covers one wall with pieces of paper that are pinned all over it.
Names, locations, dragon sightings, casualty numbers, and some papers have large red marks through them.
I stop.
"What are those?"
Sylvia looks.
"Probably completed reports."
A man walking past us overhears.
"Dead zones," He speaks up.
I turn towards him.
He is tall, older, has short brown hair, and a scar runs across his nose.
"What?" I ask.
He points towards the red-marked papers.
"Areas we don’t control anymore."
That makes more sense. I probably could’ve guessed that they are dead zones... No, probably not actually.
"Those are all lost?" I ask.
"Most."
The man continues walking before I can ask anything else.
I look back towards the board to see there are a lot of red marks.
Sylvia steps closer.
"This is worse than I thought," Sylvia says with a bit of concern in her voice.
"Yeah. It definitely is," I reply while crossing my arms.
I scan the papers and immediately notice that some mention villages, roads, and a few have numbers written beside them.
I don’t understand everything, but I do understand enough to know humans are losing ground.
"We made the right choice coming," I say.
Sylvia nods.
"I think so."
A voice suddenly cuts through the room.
"New arrivals!" A woman shouts.
Everyone nearby turns.
A woman stands behind a long desk near the back of the hall.
She has short black hair and dark green armor.
Her expression looks permanently annoyed.
"Over here," She says as she gestures towards us.
Sylvia walks first, then I follow behind her.
The woman looks us over.
"Names."
"Kain Valtor."
"Sylvia."
"Independent?"
"Yes," Sylvia answers.
The woman grabs two sheets of paper.
"Experience?" She asks.
I pause.
I didn’t really think about getting asked something like this. I guess I’ll just answer.
"I’ve killed dragons."
She looks at me.
"I would hope so."
Sylvia covers her mouth for a second.
She is trying not to laugh.
I ignore her.
"How many?" The woman asks curiously.
Honestly I don’t really know the number... It has been awhile since I thought about it.
"A few."
The woman stares at me.
"A few?"
"Five or six maybe."
"Very helpful."
I can already tell she doesn’t like me.
Or maybe she talks to everyone like this.
She looks towards Sylvia.
"And you?"
"More experienced than him."
"Clearly."
I glance at Sylvia.
She smiles.
It can never just be easy for me. Then again, it wouldn’t be fun if it was.
The woman writes something down.
"Any specific stance?" The woman asks with a curious expression on her face.
Sylvia answers first.
"Standard variations," Sylvia answers without hesitation.
Then she looks towards me.
I hesitate.
"The Valtor Stance," I answer.
Her pen stops and she looks up.
"What?"
"The Valtor Stance."
"Never heard of it."
"I made it myself," I say calmly.
Silence.
Not the whole room, just the three of us.
The woman slowly places the pen down.
"You made your own stance?" She questions.
"Yeah."
Sylvia immediately steps in.
"He did. I’ve seen him use it," Sylvia speaks with confidence.
The woman looks between us.
"How long have you been a slayer?"
That is a harder question.
"Not that long," I answer with a soft tone.
She closes her eyes for a second.
"Wonderful."
Honestly I haven’t been keeping track of everything... So I don’t know why it is expected.
She takes another sheet from the pile.
"You’re both going through assessment."
"Assessment?" I ask.
"Everyone does."
"For what?"
"To see whether you’re useful or whether you’re going to get yourselves killed."
At least she is being direct with us about it.
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Sylvia nods.
"Fine."
I do the same.
The woman hands us two small metal pieces.
Numbers are carved into them.
"Temporary quarters."
I look down.
"These are keys?"
"No."
I look back up.
She stares at me.
"Yes, they’re keys."
Sylvia starts laughing again.
I let out a sigh.
"Where are the rooms?"
"East side."
She points towards another doorway.
"Someone will show you."
I put the key away.
Before we can leave, shouting erupts near the entrance.
"Move! Move!"
Everyone turns.
Four men rush through the doors carrying someone on a wooden board.
Blood is pouring from his stomach.
His armor is torn open.
One of his legs bends in a direction it definitely shouldn’t.
Another slayer follows behind them.
His face is covered in blood too.
"South patrol got hit!" He shouts.
The entire room changes as people start moving.
The woman behind the desk immediately stands.
"How many?"
"Six dead! Four wounded!"
"What attacked?"
The man breathes heavily.
"Two dragons."
Only two?
I stare towards the injured slayer as they carry him past.
Two dragons did that? I mean it makes sense but I’d expect multiple slayers to have no problem with that.
"What type?"
"Armored."
The woman’s expression gets more serious.
"Get them to medical."
The men disappear through another doorway as the chatter in the room slowly starts again.
But it feels different now.
Six people died and four were badly injured and everyone just goes back to work.
I look towards Sylvia.
She has the same expression I probably do.
"So this is Mythos," I say quietly.
"Looks like it," Sylvia replies while looking around.
I tighten my hand into a fist.
This is really upsetting. It makes me want to kill the damn dragons even more.
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