Xerxes eyes slowly opened as he takes a brief yet deep sigh. He stretches his body until he hears a silent pop before rising out of bed. Briefly walking towards the window, he glances outward with a smile on his face. He had been in Orchidia for a little under six months and still found himself marveling at every single thing the city had to offer. The center of the city teamed with life and vibrant energy. The roads were clean, the air was crisp, and the buildings were in pristine condition. Compared to the golden sand covered landscapes of Desierto, this was akin to a paradise and a physical manifestation of everything his father told him over the years. The outer edges, however, hit more closer to home with crumbling and derelict buildings lining as far as the eye could see. Instead of everything being covered in sand, vines and moss took its place. It was this area that struck him with a sense of familiarity. During his mercenary days, he always longed for a chance to visit this place but alas, the opportunity never presented itself. To be here, to see the lands he felt it was destiny to some day rule was…breathtaking.

Today was a new day, a new opportunity to build both his power and renown if he were ever to achieve his father’s dream. Shortly after his arrival in Orchidia, Xerxes had been informed of the importance of Guilds in these parts. Tribes and armies were likely the closest thing Desierto had to Guilds so he was fascinated with the concept. To his delight, he discovered that Orchidia had a guild that had a creed which strongly resonated with him. A guild that valued power, the pursuit of such power, and the freedom it gave. To stand at a such a pinnacle that no one would be below them. Exactly the values instilled in Xerxes all those years ago by his father. Immediately, he sought out the guild and joined. Unfortunately, despite living at the Guild’s headquarters, he had never met any of his other guildmates as for the past two years, it had been largely quiet. He joined after certain events fractured the guild and now most of them did their own things. Xerxes did not mind it all too much, he knew that if they were as their guild’s creed insinuated, he would meet them somewhere down the line. After getting dressed and retrieving his spear, Xerxes began his trip inside in the city. The previous evening, the guild had received a request from one of the wealthy land owners in the area. The details of it were scarce but the mission was said to involve combat. Xerxes relished the opportunity as it had been some time since he last got into a fight. Training could only go so far. He needed to continue honing his skills through combat if the dream was going to be realized.

After a short jaunt, Xerxes had come to the meeting site where he saw the land owner speak to some employees in front of an old and crumbling building. As soon as the man saw the spear affixed on Xerxes’ back, he instantly knew who it was. “Ah, so you must be one of the Sleeping Calamity guild members who accepted my request. Thank you.” He says warmly. Xerxes, as benefitting of a future ruler, smiles and shakes the man’s hand before the two begin to discuss the quest parameters. The building in front of them had been abandoned for some time due to a rather large infestation of giant rats. The rats, driven by an insatiable hunger and the desire to spread, have consumed the building entirely and have attacked all who have dared to venture inside. Some reports say that they’ve briefly seen the visage of a rat even larger than the others roaming through every once in a while. Just based on the description, Xerxes knew that there was no way he’d come out of this with clean hands which didn’t bother him. This would just be a stepping stone to what would eventually come for him. After agreeing to the man’s terms in regards to his reward, Xerxes starts to depart inside the building but is quickly stopped by the man’s words. “I almost forgot, another one of your guildmates will be joining you. When I had my secretary place the request, she ran into someone personally. I personally don’t mind it. The more the merrier just as long as those vermin are dealt with.” A smile forms across Xerxes’ face as he would finally be able to meet with someone else within the guild. With renewed vigor, the man enters the back of the building.

As soon as he steps inside, the putrid smell of feces and decay entered his lungs. A multitude of beady red eyes peered at him from within the darkness. Slowly, the man reaches behind him and withdraws his spear. It was a weapon that was simplistic in design, just enough to get the job done. He wanted to gain his renown through force and this was the way to do it. The rats, sensing danger was approaching, immediately began to charge the man in front of them, streaks of blood, feces, and who knows what is trailing behind them. With a surprising level of grace and fluidity, Xerxes points the tip of his spear towards the rats and charges forward. The sound of splattered blood accompanies each strike, painting both the area and Xerxes himself in a dazzling spray. Xerxes strikes with an emotionless stare on his face, showing no sense of sympathy or remorse. The smell was almost overpowering but the man paid it no mind. He had a job to accomplish. Between strikes, he could faintly hear the all too familiar sounds of steel ripping into flesh with the death screeches of rats following closely afterward coming from deeper into the building. “Oh…they must be here.” Xerxes says as his strikes become faster and more direct. He wanted to finish up and meet this person, whoever they may be. A few minutes pass and Xerxes finds himself standing in the middle of a pile of dead rats, his body covered in their blood. He gives his weapon a forceful shake, splattering off a majority of blood from its tip. Quickly sheathing the weapon, he moves even deeper into the building towards the faint sounds he heard earlier. Eventually, he comes across a hole in the side of the building where, inside, the putrid smell of the rats increased. He correctly surmises that this may be where the rats first gained entry into the building. It was likely a small opening that grew into the massive hole that stood before him thanks to repeated entry from larger and larger rats. Deciding that this would be the perfect place to wait, Xerxes out a sharpening tool and begins to sharpen the tip of the spear as he awaits the arrival of his guildmate.

WC: 1,177
TWC: 1,177

Ikazuchi’s return to the guild after two years had been a quiet one. It wasn’t too different from the time before his seclusion as the building was left unattended. He couldn’t be sure that everyone he met previously remained, but he was content simply being able to return. If it weren’t for the fact that he could tell that the building had been reconstructed, he would have leisurely spent his time waiting for one of his fellow guildmates to arrive. He had intended to focus on crafting his new sword, but he didn’t feel he could simply wait around after having learned the unfortunate truth. He felt an unexpected amount of responsibility and guilt after realizing that the guild had suffered during his absence. With a newfound resolve he made his way towards the area where requests of the guild were left and coincidentally met a woman intended to submit a request.

“Excuse me, what’s the request?” No words were wasted as he approached and inquired. From the way that the woman jerked, it seemed that she hadn’t intended to actually encounter a guild member. “Ah!” The woman paused for a moment before she offered Ikazuchi a paper and continued calmly. “My employer is requesting the assistance of your guild in order to exterminate the rats that have overrun his property.”

Ikazuchi was confused after hearing the request that the woman brought him. “Rats? You need the guild to help with rodents?” The woman was flustered by his question, but she didn’t immediately respond as she noticed his attention directed towards the paper after the question. As for Ikazuchi, it was only after reading through the report fully that he understood the severity of the problem. “Alright, I will accept this request. If you don’t mind, could you elaborate?” The woman’s discomfort disappeared after Ikazuchi spoke and she responded happily to his request. “Of course! Where should I start?” And so, just like that, the two began to exchange questions and answers regarding the property.

Ikazuchi and the secretary conversed as they took a seat at a nearby table. The conversation flowed smoothly, mostly about the property and the rats. He managed to fill any gaps in the information that the request form didn’t include during this time. Whenever the woman attempted to derail the conversation, Ikazuchi made a point to return the conversation to the original topic and dig for more information. He had no intention of exchanging personal information with a stranger, especially an employer or their proxy. After the two discussed everything that they could, Ikazuchi sent her out while informing her when he would arrive tomorrow. As for the actual request form, he left it unattended, unaware that he would encounter a guild member for the first time due to this. Unbeknownst to him, he managed to just miss a guildmate due to entering town in order to find the material he would use to craft his sword.

The next day Ikazuchi arrived a few minutes before the appointed time and found the land owner waiting for him. After some brief introductions the two got down to business and discussed the rewards and conditions that hadn’t been included in the request form. The first demand of the employer was that any valuables located within be handed over due to being his property. Ikazuchi felt the urge to laugh when he heard that, but managed to restrain himself. ‘You recently bought it, how would you know what’s been stolen?’ He kept that question to himself as they discussed his rewards. “Ah, before I forget, someone else from your guild arrived and entered before you did.” Ikazuchi appeared somewhat curious as he turned his attention to the abandoned building.

As he approached the building, he couldn’t help but notice the stench that wafted out and assailed his nose. “My first quest in years is killing rats…” He spoke too quiet for others to hear, but he couldn’t help but express the bitter feelings he had at that moment. He was particularly regretful that he hadn’t brought the power that he used during seclusion to weaken such odors. There were clear signs that someone had passed through the area based on the traces of blood and rat corpses that were being devoured by others. It was a disgusting sight that served as a testament to the infestation that they were dealing with. Rats had partially reclaimed the path that his guildmate recently cleared, so Ikazuchi could only imagine the state of the sewers that were apparently the origin.

By now the vermin had noticed him, glaring at him with red eyes that seemed to express their rabid gluttony. Ikazuchi sighed and drew his sword as they swarmed towards him. There was no change in his expression as he began swiping at the waves causing the many rat bodies to fly backwards into other rats or nearby walls. The impacts resulted in bodies of the rats breaking and bursting in impact paving a bloody path forward.

Ikazuchi quickly understood that the difficulty of the extermination wasn’t due to the individual creature, but instead due to the large amount of rats that seemed to come endlessly. There were only a select few rats that he earned his full attention, those that were far larger than the others. They were more opportunistic than the normal rats, always targeting his blind spots or the pause between swings. He had long since resorted to using Spellcutter’s sheath to steadily clear the path while the sword itself was primarily used against the larger rats.

Ikazuchi boots, sword, and sheath were all red with blood with even more splattered across his body leaving him disgusted and concerned for any disease the creatures may be carrying. Still, he didn’t hesitate to continue down the path that his guildmate had taken. It was likely that they would have already found the sewer entrance, so he hoped that he wouldn’t have to explore more than necessary due to their efforts.

The blood and gore along the path continued to grow while the number of rats assaulting him seemed to decrease as he moved further along. He knew that he was catching up as the number of carcasses in his began to outnumber the living rats. Still, the remaining rats continued to be launched away. Many burst on the wall due to the force behind each swipe of his sheath or sword. It disgusted him, but it was better than being covered in more blood than necessary from these creatures.

It wasn’t long before he finally caught sight of a man and received a sudden influx of information. ‘He’s not a mage?’ Ikazuchi’s interest grew as he observed Xerxes maintaining his weapon while approaching. He also noticed the absence of rats by now and waved his sheath and sword to remove the blood a distance away from Xerxes before properly sheathing the weapon on his right hip.

“So you’re the person who came before me?” Ikazuchi intentionally spoke as he approached in order to avoid startling the man sharpening his spear. His attention had also shifted to the large hole that led into the sewer with the hope that he may catch sight of something in the distance while waiting for a response.

Word Count: 1,210

With each thrust of the whetstone, the tip of the blade becomes sharper and sharper. He studied the tip closely, feeling that he could get a little more sharpness out of the blade. As he continued to sharpen the tip of the spear, Xerxes could hear faint footsteps approaching. The rhythmic pitter-patter of the footsteps did not match the sounds of rats he had heard so many times over the past several minutes. This carried more weight to it, more heft. The approaching footsteps were obviously a person. Given that no one else would be dumb enough to come into the building, Xerxes knew that this had to be the guildmate the owner spoke of previously. As the figure comes into view, he sees a man roughly in his mid-twenties appear before him. The man, much like Xerxes himself, was covered in rat blood, guts, and other various fluids the house’s new inhabitants provided. He greeted Xerxes with a surprising warmth in his voice as his eyes drifted over to the large hole that led deep into the sewer system. He was likely surveying the area, attempting to see what other creatures awaited them. Xerxes finishes sharpening his spear and places the weapon back at its proper place behind him, taking great care to not point it towards the man in front of him.

“I am. You must be the other guildmate that the owner mentioned. The name is Sharyar Xerxes but you can just call me Xerxes. This is the first time I’ve met anyone from the guild since I joined.” Xerxes attempted to extend his hand out for a shake but hesitated and thought better of it. Given the amount of blood on both of them, he thought it best to wait until they were cleaner. For a short time, the two of them exchanged pleasantries, finding a certain kinship in the fact that the two of them were non-mages. In a mage dominated world, it was nice to find a likeminded individual, even more so that they were in the same guild. Before their conversation continued further, the two opted to continue their conversation in a less putrid area before heading into the sewers. The splashing of their footsteps in the dirty water could be heard echoing as they continued their trek in silence. Slowly, red beady dots begin to appear off in the distance. Behind those eyes sat a larger pair. They had a weary, experienced look to them. Xerxes surmised that this must be the leader of the group. Take out the leader and the rest will follow. Xerxes removed the spear from behind him, spinning it slightly before readying himself. “Looks like we’ll have to cut through these to get to the big one in the back. Once he’s done, I think that should be about it for the rats. Should be pretty quick then we can seal up the hole back there.”

A smile forms across his face as he throws the spear towards the horde of rats in front of them as hard as he can. The shrill, painfilled sounds of injured rats echo throughout the sewers as Xerxes runs into the horde. The first rat lunges towards him as the man leans back and withdraws a blade sheathed on his side. Dodging the lunge entirely, he slices the belly of the beast as it collapses dead on the ground. Withdrawing a second blade, Xerxes begins slashing at any and every beast that comes near him, losing himself in the thrill of the fight. Tossing the two blades into the abdomen of another rat, he retrieves his spear out of a dead one and continues his assault. He glances over and sees his comrade doing the same, each of them covered in even more blood than they were when they first entered the sewers. As he slices down one more rat, he could hear the increased splashing of water. The big one was coming out to play. Instinctively, Xerxes raises up his staff and blocks the oncoming tail strike. The sheer force of the strike sending ripples in the water. “Interesting. You are much stronger than the others. I wonder if you’ll give me a good challenge.” The rat leaps backwards and lets a bestial roar escape its mouth. Xerxes sprints towards the rat as the creature lifts up its front claw in an attempt to swat Xerxes down.  Knowing full well what was coming, Xerxes skillfully dodges to the right and delivers two quick and precise slashes to the side of its head. The strikes stagger the beast as it stumbles back, the Desiertian not letting up his assault. He lets off a quick flurry of spear strikes, all directed on the rat’s head. A roar of pain echoes throughout the area as Xerxes continues to strike. The rat slumps to the side, it’s breathing labored. “Hey. Ready to finish this thing off if you are.” Xerxes says as he glances over towards his comrade.

WC: 834
TWC: 2,011

After Xerxes introduced himself, Ikazuchi faced the same dilemma regarding the offered handshake. The blood and gore decorating the two managed to discourage them both from any physical contact. Instead, Ikazuchi responded in a similarly polite manner. “It’s nice to meet you, Xerxes. As for me, the name’s Ikazuchi. Regarding the guild, I’m not much more familiar with the current members myself after returning.” Following their introductions, the two continued to exchange pleasantries for a short time.

It was naturally impossible for Ikazuchi to learn anything new about the man during this time, but it was nice to have a conversation with someone after more than two years away from people. Until recently, his only conversation partner was a silent wyvern so it was more than welcomed on his part. Unfortunately, it couldn’t only continue for a short period of time before the two grew tired of their surroundings. They would be returning to the Guildhall after this, so they could continue their conversation there; preferably after cleaning up.

The only positive Ikazuchi found in his current situation was the fact that his experiences had long since resulted in him waterproofing his boots and pants to a certain point regularly. He was still disgusted by the sewer water that they waded through, but he couldn’t help but be thankful for the fact that it hadn’t flowed into his clothing.

Ahead of his companion, Ikazuchi had already drawn his sword after noticing the rats in the distant darkness. Had they been too close he may have warned his companion, but they were still too far away to threaten them. It was only after they traversed a short distance further that Xerxes also noticed the vermin blocking their path and further prepared himself while speaking.

Ikazuchi’s response was a simple nod, not caring for whether the man noticed his confirmation. There wasn’t anything wrong with the statement, and he didn’t think this was the time for them to freely converse as the swarm started to gradually flow towards them. Ikazuchi fully intended to knock them back in a similar manner to before, so he didn’t rush to step forward. Xerxes on the other hand, Ikazuchi quickly understood the man’s intent after noticing his smile and posture.

Ikazuchi found himself looking at the man he recently met curiously after observing the spear’s flight path. It only lasted for a moment, but it didn’t stop him from using his peripheral vision to accurately swat away any of the rats that approached. Like before, their bodies were sent flying uncontrollably away from his swings causing a variety of damage. The only difference from before was the fact that he moved carefully to avoid becoming a hazard to Xerxes. Without any sort of mutual understanding, the extent of their cooperation was simply staying out of the other's way while appraising them when they had the luxury to do so.

As Ikazuchi faced more and more rats, particularly the larger and more dangerous ones, he found himself feeling more pressured. It wasn’t as though he felt threatened, it was simply uncomfortable not being able to wield a second sword. It served as a constant reminder of the fact that he needed to quickly craft his weapon in order to fight as freely as he had in the past.

As his frustrations grew, Ikazuchi cared less and less about avoiding the gore and directly used his right fist to smash any that lunged towards his upper body. Those that made it past his sword and targeted his legs were directly stomped resulting in waves in the water dyed red with blood. The blood and gore decorating his equipment only grew in response to his violent methods.

During the moments that he found his line of sight including Xerxes he witnessed a different bloody scene compared to his own. The man from Desierto showed that he didn’t rely only on his spear techniques as he also wielded his secondary weapons freely. ‘Not bad.’

By the time the monstrous rat entered the fray, the number of its minions had dwindled enough that Ikazuchi could direct his full attention towards Xerxes. ‘How will you handle this?’ He chose not to intervene as Xerxes stepped up before he could. In particular, Ikazuchi could understand seeking a challenge. Instead, he chose to roam the surroundings and finish off any of the remaining rats while preventing their interference.

Ikazuchi managed to gain a clearer understanding of his companion’s skills throughout the battle as he had the freedom to observe his techniques more than once during this short time. Truthfully, Ikazuchi found himself wanting to battle Xerxes after witnessing the way he handled the leader of the rats. After his long seclusion, there wasn’t anyone better to fight than someone similar to himself. Unfortunately, that would have to wait for after they settled their business here.

It was around this time that Xerxes addressed him directly after more than half defeating the leader alone. “I will handle it from here. I can’t have you doing all the work.” Ikazuchi was already approaching the injured creature by the time he finished speaking. His left hand comfortably gripped Spellcutter, ready to launch a powerful attack at the first opening he found.

It was apparent that the leader of the rat swarm was in terrible condition at a glance. There was no doubt that it would die today, it was just a matter of whether it could injure one of us before it did so. Ikazuchi was extremely familiar with hunting creatures like this though, so he wouldn’t carelessly lower his guard during the most dangerous moment.

The rat leader responded precisely how any cornered beast would. The growing hostility reflected the fear and danger it felt after having encountered the two of them. It steadied itself with a renewed vigor that could only come from the intense adrenaline produced during moments like this.

Ikazuchi on the other hand, his gaze was sharp as he observed the beast calmly as a man who hunted more dangerous creatures regularly during the last two years. It was during a moment when the beast’s weight shifted towards its injured side that he lunged into range without hesitation. He passed by the side of the rat while slicing his sword deep into the beast's flesh down the length of it in order to further limit its mobility.

After successfully attacking, Ikazuchi proceeded to rapidly move around the back to the opposite side of the rat in order to avoid its attempt to harm him. It responded to him to the best of its ability, but it wasn’t a particularly intelligent beast. He found it impressive that it even managed to attempt to bite him at all considering its state. He felt his decision to limit its mobility was more correct after experiencing this directly.

After that opening blow, it wasn’t possible for the beast to pose any further threat to Ikazuchi. He was already more nimble than the beast to begin with, so the injury only reinforced his advantage. He took advantage of his relic to use attacks at the correct moment to control the creature and prevent it from threatening him while causing heavy damage in the openings.

The fight didn’t last too long, but it could be said to have lasted longer than Ikazuchi expected as well. He was once again reminded of the impressive vitality that beasts like the rat leader possess. His final move was one that cleanly beheaded the creature before cleanly sheathing his sword and turning to Xerxes. “Not bad, right?”

The few remaining rats retreated into the sewer after their leader was felled, so it seemed the job had been completed with that. According to the land owner, they should recover any stolen goods and block the entrance to the sewers that had been formed. Unfortunately for that man, Ikazuchi had no intention of returning anything they found to be of value. The numbers and difficulty had been reported incorrectly, so he had decided that what they found would belong to the pair. “Before we go, we need to search for the nest and see if there’s anything worth taking there. I’m sure you’ll agree with me on this, just the trouble we’ll have to go through to clean up is worth this bonus. And…It’s not like he will miss it anyways.” After saying that, Ikazuchi proceeded to search for the stolen goods with Xerxes.

Word Count: 1,410
Total Word Count: 2,630

Xerxes stood in awe as he watched Ikazuchi approach the nearly defeated rat with weapon in hand. This would be the perfect opportunity to see his comrade in action, learn how he fights. His eyes drift to the left, seeing the greenish weapon comfortably in his hand. Instantly, Xerxes knew that the weapon had magical capabilities but did not know to what extent. Perhaps this battle would give him the answers that he sought. He watches in admiration as the man does battle with the leader of the rats, moving with even more grace that Xerxes himself. Each strike was impactful yet had fluidity to it. His moves with the sword far surpassed any one Xerxes had even seen and arguably his overall abilities surpassed those of even himself. A few strikes later, the rat’s head was cleanly removed from its body, tumbling in the murky waters as Ikazuchi sheathes his weapon before turning towards him to speak.

“Very impressive. If everyone in the guild is like this, then it is no surprise that everyone comes to Sleeping Calamity for assistance.” Listening to Ikazuchi’s mention of searching for anything valuable, the two men head towards the nest to see if there was anything there. To their surprise, they see loads of jewels piled up haphazardly towards the back of the nest. Xerxes had not seen such a sight in quite some time, not since his father was still alive. Though plentiful, it was just enough to load their pockets to the brim without raising any suspicion. “It seems the vermin had an eye for monetary possessions. If it benefits the guild, I suppose there would be no harm in informing our client that we could not find anything. Once he sees us covered in blood, I doubt they’ll argue." After ensuring that each jewel was picked up and placed in their pockets, the two men exit back the way they came, taking great care in sealing up the hole to the sewers. The land owner greets the two as they exit with a shocked expression on his face, clearly taken aback by their bloodied appearance. “Don’t worry. The blood isn’t ours.” The owner kept his distance as the putrid smell filled the area. “Did you happen to find anything?” Both shook their heads in the negative as the man’s face began to whiten, the smell beginning to overpower him. “I see. Thank you for clearing it up. I’ll have my secretary drop the payment off at your guild.” He says before quickly turning to leave. “Well then…” Xerxes says with a smile. “What do we do next?”

WC: 437
TWC: 2,448

OOC: Quest Completed