Raven managed to get his groceries delivered, though his apartment was in a mess. He was still going to be able to cook. The goblin bodies had been cleaned up but yeah. The apartment still had a huge gaping hole thanks to the car that was thrown. Enjoying some smooth jazz music as he was busy in the kitchen. Having his orc chieftain pork belly that was going to be grilled. An electronic grill but it was the best he could do at the moment.
"Raven!" Turning to see Aquila with his red hair, his frantic expression. Noticing the blood on his clothes. The house being in a mess. Blood stains over the walls.
"Oh,hey. Finished your dungeon raid?"
"What the hell is wrong with you!? You could've died?! Didn't you see the news?! The Reactionary Forces want to recruit you as a Hunter!"
"I only did it cause the monsters attacked the house. I'm not going into any fights, Aquila." Aquila punched the wall. Seeing it crack a little, Raven was unfazed by what he did.
"That's not the point! Now everyone knows you're my younger brother!" Raven just placed a plate for Aquila, then grabbing a bottle with two glasses.
"And the guilds will try to find a way to mess with me as a result. As a means to get to you." Aquila's face changed, clenching his fist as he averted his gaze from Raven.
"It's just the nature of things. People get drunk on power and money. Dungeons are profitable. Having Hunters clear them would make things even better. You've been clearing dungeons fast and buying up rights of different dungeons to clear them so they don't break. Have some of this." Raven placed the strips of orc belly on his plate. Pouring a glass of red wine for Aquila. Begrudgingly taking the meal and sipping from the glass, Aquila's glare was still sharpened on Raven.
"It'll be fine, Aquila. They can't touch me if I'm in the RF. At most they will send people to try. If they do, I'll just fight back."
"But the ones you fight back, they will send more Hunters after you."
"They can try. Doesn't matter how many they send, Aquila. I'll just kill them." Those words rolled off the tongue so easily which had Aquila feeling a little confused. His hands were trembling while Raven sipped from his glass with a calm expression. It was a different face, Aquila could only see Raven as the younger sibling. A child who cried when he was bullied by some kids in the neighbourhood, but those words alone made Aquila notice the change. A timid coward he was no more, rather seemingly to be expecting an ambush of sorts.
"Ivona... She was worried about you."
"Tell my niece to not be worried. Besides, my draft letter has arrived." Raven showed the text he received.
"Can I convince you to join my guild?"
"No, Aquila." Aquila put his glass down, his left hand flinched as he vanished. Raven put the glass to the side, readying his pistol. His brother's an S-Rank with the nickname of 'Flash Blade' primarily thanks to the high speed movement. A normal Hunter's eyes would've struggled with such movements. Aquila darted around the room, and for Raven. This was like a regular fight with a Sovereign but slower. His brother had a single tell. That was his left hand would flinch when he would go in for a strike. Waiting for that chance, he took a step to the side as Aquila was in front of him. Pistol pointed beneath his chin.
"Checkmate."
"How?"
"Trust me. You also need to work on the tell of yours. Left hand flinching when you go for a strike at the start of the combat. Be sure to introduce Ivona to your tamed beast, the blue hare. Observe how she interacts with it. You'll be surprised. Now, brother. I'm going to head out." Raven said as he grabbed a bag, glancing at Aquila who seemed defeated.
"Take care. Stay safe out there." Raven gave a nod, making his way to the nearest bust stop. Seeing that he was to report to Reactionary Force Westland Base. The bus ride to the base was going to take 5 hours. So he could spend it napping. Earphones on, playing some music from his playlist. An acapella done by a single woman. A song about peace. An odd word for Raven, what is peace? Closing his eyes as he felt his mind drift away.
Ruined buildings, the last embers of humanity were moving about in the middle of a war torn street. Hunters with innocent civilians. The sight of a child who was on her mother's back. Two adult men carrying an old woman on a stretcher. Then seeing his younger self wearing the military gear. A rifle in hand as he was checking out the area for any trouble. An old memory, one that he had to keep for a while. Ice arrows rained from above. Pouring down upon the Hunters and civilians in an instant. Ice glistened with blood, flesh and organs. The sight of a woman crying as she realized her child had been killed, with her dead child's hand being the only flesh that remained.
"It's an attack! We need to mo-" The team leader was crushed by a boulder, young Raven turned to see the many orcs and hobgoblins surrounding the area. The other Hunters were still in a daze, following the contingency plan. Leading the other civilians away from the fighting as the Hunters fought with tooth and nail.
"I was slow." Raven muttered as his young self watched as the remaining civilians had became victims of a dragon's flame. roasting them into charred corpses, another glance to see the other Hunters who had fallen. He was the only one left, making his way forward as he fired the rifle. Controlled bursts to keep the hobgoblins away as he grabbed a longsword off a dead Hunter.
"Desperate." Seeing how Raven swung the longsword, frantically. Grazing the orcs and hobgoblins, not a single kill. Not using the pistol at all, nothing but desperation
"Lacking creativity." Raven said as his younger self was sent flying to the wall, trying to get back on his feet. Left hand drawing the pistol, attempting to fire at whatever threat that was in front of him.
"I didn't have conviction." Young Raven ran away, trying to find a place to hide. A place to have a breather, swapping the magazine for a fresh one. Pistol to his chest, everything was fucked. Nothing was going right, he was a survivor but that didn't change the fact that many people had died as a result of whatever that had happened. A game of cat and mouse with the monsters as he kept on fighting. Never running away, may be his only redeeming quality at the time.
"Because I was weak, I needed to use my head." Raven said, running over to steal explosives from his dead comrades. Placing it by the supports of the buildings as the monsters went to chase after him again. Gritting his teeth at the face of a friend who was expecting. Leading them all to the center of the city as the dragon flew into the city. Unleashing flames to burn him, pressing the detonator. That was all he needed as the entire city's buildings exploded. Unleashing shockwaves that sent the monsters in a panic. A dragon crushed under the dominos of destruction.
"Survive.That was all that mattered." Raven said as he got away, standing alone. Looking at a jar of paper cranes, now stained with blood. The body of a teenage girl who had been impaled by ice arrows. He was no hero. He was just a human being who had to see everything die before his eyes. Feeling the aches in his heart at the sight of the loss.
Opening his eyes once more, Raven found himself in front of the RF Westland Base. Government sanctioned, government owned with the basic military idea of conscripting weak Hunters who did not find guilds to work there. Either as a soldier or production. A basic military strategy that had increased the body count of various Hunters faster than anything. Most of them had no idea what they were doing. Basic military tactics or strategies would not work against monsters of the dungeons. But the Euphemia had no other choice, this was their best play as Guilds were too busy serving their own interests and not the people.
Though it cannot be said to be the same as Aquila's Guild, the Black Wings which had been fighting to clear dungeons so people would be safe. Offending plenty of other companies that wanted to keep the dungeons open. Raven put a lid to those thoughts, making his way out to see the many Hunters who were brought over. Seeing nervous men and women all around. A woman in dress uniform appeared before them. A face that Raven knew quite well.
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"Welcome to the Reactionary Force. I'm Captain Maximilia Andersen. You are Reactionary Force Unit 21 from now on. Follow me." Hearing that voice, it confirmed it. B-Ranked Hunter who got the nickname of 'Supercomputer Max' because of how fast she could cast spells. Heading into the dorms that were present, men and women were separated. Then came the shark attack by the sergeants.
"To the training grounds now! Now!" Raven was the only one wearing formal clothes, seeing the other RF Hunters who were glancing at them. Unit 21 had to move into the training grounds where they could see plenty of RF Hunters standing by.
"I will call your name. You will head inside and face the senior members. One member at a time." Raven continued observing, seeing dozens of Hunters being beaten down so easily. It was the classic case of 'Hazing' that the RF was known for. It was to give the rookies a taste of pain and inferiority while demonstrating that the senior members were strong and they should be able to reach that level. A mage Hunter being beaten by a Tank Hunter. A merciless beatdown as despite the surrender, the Tank Hunter kicked the mage away like a toy. Even if the attacks were simulated, the bruising and mental damage inflicted was going to be permanent. It seems for some reason, Raven was going last. Even the Hunters that had B and C Ranked potentials were getting beaten by them.
"Hmm... Raven Ashenworth." He stepped forward as he could see the Tank Hunter grinning at him.
"Come on, draw your weapon!" Raven pulled out a pistol and a karambit. The Tank smiled.
"A gun and a knife? This'll be interesting... Begin!" The Tank went after Raven first. A shield bash, only to watch Raven step to the side as the Tank missed. The back was wide open with Raven firing shots to the leg. The Tank took the hits but he was still mobile, keeping the shield in front of him. Raven swung the magazine away, loading another one. Walking instead of running, the Tank kept the shield up. Exposing his feet as Raven took the shot at it, forcing the shield to be on the ground. Firing as he dashed to the front, keeping the pressure. Then running up the shield as he reloaded the pistol. The Tank readied the shield upwards, thinking Raven was going to shoot.
"Where is he?!" Raven was beside the tank, going in for the strike. A slash that struck the arm, leaving the Tank bleeding a bit as the shield fell. The Tank readied his fist, a fast jab. Raven ducked. Slashing wrist, then going at point blank range with the pistol.Pulling the trigger as the tank fell back. Holstering the pistol and putting the knife into sheath on the back of his hip.
"Next." Captain Max ordered as a mage stepped forward. Grinning at Raven while holding a grimoire.
"Begin!" The grimoire opened up as the mage unleashed magic missiles to keep Raven at a distance. It was a solid plan, but not against Raven who weaved through the missiles. The mage created a barrier at the front. Chanting fast as it was forming the layers. Raven got close though, a punch to the mage's jaw. Breaking the incantation, then emptying the pistol magazine to the mage's head. Taking out another magazine. There was another 2 of them who readied themselves.
"You two. Go at him. Break him." A swordsman and a rifleman. The rifleman fired first, trying to keep Raven in a certain spot. Move to the right? A gunshot. Moving to the left? Another gunshot. The swordsman got close with the longsword while Raven readied the karambit, narrowly deflecting the sword's path to the side. Headbutting the swordsman back, the swordsman recovered fast to use the broad side of the sword to stop Raven's pistol shots. When the slide tracked back, Raven threw the pistol at the swordsman's face. Going in as he slit the throat, then holding the swordsman's body as shield.
The rifleman fired shots as Raven kicked the swordsman's body at him. The rifleman kept his eye on Raven but the brief interruption of the swordsman's body broke the line of sight. Raven got low on the ground as he got close. Right hand pushing the barrel upwards, stabbing the karambit to the rifleman's leg. Pistol drawn where Raven slapped it to the side. Using body weight against body weight, he was going to lose this. A headbutt to the rifleman's face that recoiled him back a bit, giving Raven the chance to throw the rifleman down. Snatching the pistol away as he had the rifleman in a headlock with his calves. Firing a shot with the rifleman's pistol that ended the fight.
"Well. Seems like we got a new phenom. Trainee Raven Ashwenworth. You'll be Unit 21's Leader. Any objections?"
"Respectfully ma'am. I'm not good at leading."
"Then I'll look for a leader among you. But you'll have authority to a certain degree among your unit. You've earned a day in the Special Armory to pick out what weapon you like. Four weapons. Because you've beaten all four members of a Unit 17. The first person to achieve this feat. I look forward to your achievement. Paul, lead him." The rifleman gave a nod as Raven followed him from behind.
"Where'd you learn how to shoot?"
"Just an enthusiast."
"Enthusiast my ass. That looked professional. Like you're used to this. Three gun?"
"I did try to do a few three gun competitions but the world went to shit when I was going for a competition. What about you?"
"I was part of Prayer Special Forces. Since the military got fucked, I joined RF since it's what I can do." Paul spoke as they reached a large safe, with Paul swiping his card. Seeing a man in a suit smoking a cigar inside. Sipping on a glass of wine. Seated by a sofa to the left whereas Raven could marvel the firearms on the racks, the swords on display.
"Ah, Paul. What brings you here?" The man spoke with a smile.
"Not for me. This is the new recruit. He just kicked my team's ass. He's got clearance for four weapons in here. Set him up good, Marlow." The man glanced at Raven,scanning him top to bottom.
"I need a pistol. A rifle and a shotgun. Last weapon is a knife."
"Calibers?"
"10mm. 5.56, 12 gauge."
Marlow smiled as he brought a pistol, a rifle and a semi-automatic shotgun.
"Glock 40. An Artemis works custom. Used by A-Ranked Hunters. Uses aura and mana infused rounds. Window cuts to lighten it, aggressive stippling. Red dot on the top of the slide, ambidextrous slide release. 17 round magazine capacity. The extended one goes up to 25. A rail below for attachments."Raven picked it up, he liked the weight. Pulling the trigger, testing the reset.
"I'll take it. What's next?"
"AR-15 made by Tombstone. Ambidextrous controls. A slimmer rail profile. 30 round magazine or 50 round magazine. A scope for long range and an offset red dot for the side."
"It's got some weight cause of the scope and the barrel's make it annoying at room clearing fights. But I'm going to use this not for room clearing anyway. Shotgun?"
"M4 by Atelier Industries. 8 round tube, easy to switch from slugs and 00 buck."
"Weight's focused on the back.. Are there weights in the stock?" Marlow smiled.
"It helps to ease the recoil from using mana and aura infused shells." Marlow then showed the selection of knives.
"Freshly stoned. Mithril ore." Raven picked up a trench knife and a combat knife.
"Take 'em both. I made them and these two have been looking for an owner. There's a custom sheathe for them. Here." Marlow put it on Raven, where he used his elbow to the back sheath that was for the trench knife, letting it spring out as Raven held it along with the combat knife.
"The balance is great, easy to work with. Thanks, Marlow." Marlow grinned.
"Do well and I can contact a few friends in the firearms research to get you some better stuff. They're always looking for Hunters to test out their equipment. And if you're good as I think you are. I can send you a contact for a weaponsmith who makes weapons that are exclusive for S-Rank Hunters. He made Aquila's pair of sabers. The Red Wing and Blue Wing."
"Can he do guns?"
"He sure can. Now run along now, I'm sure Captain Max will want a word with you." Raven and Paul headed out.
"What's your class?"
"It's called Madness."
"What kind of class is that?"
"One for the insane." Raven said as he went over to the Commander's Office, seeing the Captains of the various units present. The man in the middle, he turned. An aged man who was burly and strong. Just seeing the eyepatch. A smile landed itself on Raven's face. The one who taught him firearms. The Skull King. Every firearms fundamentals that Raven used and the philosophy came from this burly man. A silver fox in every sense of the word.
"So.. You're Unit 21's Phenom. I saw the combat footage. That's no amateur and your reloads. Aggressive and flashy. Though I did see the Hunter footage that showed what else you did. Your brother is an S-Rank Hunter. Did he not try to recruit you?"
"He did. I declined. I tried to stay away from fighting but since I got the draft order. I decided might as well see what the RF is all about."
"First impression?"
"Pathetic." In an instant glares were shot at him, where Raven could feel bloodlust over him, including Skull King's glare.
"Your reason?"
"Most of the Hunters have zero combat experience. They get thrown to the wolves. Even an A-Rank hunter, lacking experience can be killed by a C-Rank monster. Experience trumps class. A rookie I saw nearly ran into an orc throwing cars at them. Another one was a sniper who could barely work the rifle. A bolt action rifle is as simple as things get. They don't need to deal damage rapidly, just one good shot. Then move on." Skull King gave a nod, the others seemed agitated.
"You're right. But sometimes we don't have time to prepare. People can die at any time. Trainee Ashenworth, tomorrow. Unit 21 will be deployed to a dungeon alongside Unit 17. It's a hands on training in an E-Ranked Dungeon. Andersen and I will join you tomorrow. That'll be all for now, dismissed." Raven gave a nod, stepping out of the room.
"Joining them in an E-Ranked Dungeon, Sir?" Max spoke up, wanting to understand the reason behind it.
"I want to see your new phenom in action. He's a lone wolf type, he won't take a leadership position even if you threw it at him. What's interesting is that he was able to be calm when all of you unleashed aura and mana. My Constellation reacted." That had the room in silence. For constellations to react to a human, it was normally a sign of combat or war. They had to think about it.
"What... What did your constellation say?"
"That he's not an enemy and someone I would not want as an enemy. It's also said he's in the RF because he doesn't want to get caught up in the guild's nonsense. I know there are members in the RF that have ties with the guilds. Keep them on a tight leash. If they attack him first, and he defends himself. It's fair play. Aquila Ashenworth is a young Hunter who managed to anger so many guilds and companies. The constellation also said he values family. So if trouble reaches his brother's family. Let him know."
"Sir... Isn't this favoritism?" Max said.
"It can be interpreted that way but... My constellation is not one to speak up about meeting people."