Chapter 190: Hallowguard Team

"You dare to rank your team," said the lady with two axes hanging her waist. She raised a finger and pointed at Sujiro. "It has been months since Hallowguard has ranked up."

"And you?" Stood the lanky old-man with a clean-shaven face. "You stole Bridget's team Grade A quests, leaving them with no new quests. It was their chance to rank up."

And for twenty minutes, both teams argued. This wasn't Ned's intention, what he wanted to hear was their achievements. Not meeting with one another. Ned sighed, he looked over his shoulder. And as if Twali knew what Ned meant, he coughed. Making the two teams dropped their argument and went to go back to their seats, with disappointed looks.

Twali raised a hand, waving for the two Gold Rank Hunters behind him. Arm and Bram walked forward and stood on each side of both teams.

Bram started first, toothpick rolling between his mouth, "Twisted Tooth finished a Grade B quests in less than three days. Normally, Grade Bs would take a week or two to finish. But for them, did it in a short day."

Arm rooted for Hallowguard and said, "While they took down a high-grade beast and saved three teams of hunters. Hunters talked about House Tarragon's name for a month because of that."

Bram added, "While their quests made House Tarragon's name become credible. To finish such quests in a short amount of time. Even hunters from the capital will raise an eyebrow."

Arm said, "While Hallowguard was a team of full coordination. They fought with trusts with each other."

The statement made Ned cock an eyebrow. But, it seemed that Sujiro wasn't a team player.

The Hallowguard leader nodded and smiled looking at Arm. He brushed a thin hair under his chin, a gesture as if saying: "You will have a reward later, Master Arm."

"Preposterous!" Said the Twisted Tooth Leader. "Look, kid." He paused looking at Ned and continued. "Let us handle your request. Beast Settlements? We could do it, less than a week. Master Twali called us here for a reason."

His voice was calm speaking of Twali's name. The hunters looked at him and back to Ned. Waiting for Ned's decisions.

Swift remained in the far corner of the room. Waiting also for Ned.

"How many died in your team?" Ned said, directing questions to the Hallowguard team leader.

For some reason, this made Sujiro twitch an eyelid. It was clear, he didn't bother to hide it. He reached for the table and drum his fingers, waiting for his team leader to speak.

The man in a complete set of armor lowered his shoulders like a boulder crushed onto them. He turned and looked at Sujiro and said, "Three. Including his sister."

The room fell to silence, Arm and Bram went back behind Twali without uttering a single word.

"And you?" Ned said to the man opposite the Hallowguard team. "None."

Ned sighed, he looked at Swift, and Swift nodded. "Okay," he said. "I have chosen." He paused, scanned the room. His eyes laid at the six Companions waiting like a set of puppies wanting to be held by their masters. Yet, they can't seem to look Ned with a straight face and eyes, they lowered their heads the moment Ned looked at them. To his far left was the lady, looking bemused while holding a piece of quill for writing. She also waited for Ned's decision. "Hallowguard it is."

The room went into a dismissive uproar, mostly from the Twisted Tooth's team. The lady with two axes on her sides stood and slammed those axes over the table. The room felt as if it jerked. "Calm, down," their master said. "Now, kid. Why'd you chosen them? They're incompetent. Lost three of their members in less than a year. Are you that desperate to fail your quest?"

Ned smiled and shook his head. His eyes went to Sujiro and said, "I choose them simply because they tasted what failure is."

By that, the room went quiet. All they could hear was the scribbling of the lady attendant at the far end of the corner. It was as if she was recording all that had happened inside the barrack room. Quill against a piece of paper. Writing furiously.

"Then so be it," said the Twisted Tooth's team leader. He waved a hand then all of his members stood and bowed.

Ready to leave the room, Ned raised a hand. Gesturing them to stop. He then turned around and leaned closer to Twali. "Give them one," Ned said, almost a whisper.

Twali raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Ned?"

Ned simple nod without too much of an explanation.

The Twisted Tooth team stood with confused faces. They lost the right for the requests, so what now?

Twali hovered his hand over the table and stopped and the hand remained for seconds before he flicked his wrists. Medium size Mana Stone appeared out of his pocket dimension. The stone clinked against the table, and rolled without haste. Before it stops, Twali grabbed the stone, slid it toward the Twisted Tooth's team leader, and said, "For your team, Master Ok."

Master Ok, the Twisted Tooth's team leader, grabbed the mana stone before it slid down the table. His eyes couldn't believe what he was holding, a mana stone. Months of quests to procure one. Now his team had one without having to do anything. His eyes went wide and narrowed looking at the Hallowguard's team leader. Getting the requests will give them two mana stone and another two after. He shook his head, doesn't know if he should laugh, or cry.

She laughed, the lady with two axes laughed looking at the stone. It was a precious stone filled with mana. It could either make or break a person. Use as an ingredient for crafting weapons, a Magic Capable could absorb it and replenish his mana for days, or simply sold it at the Merchant's Guild and gain a hefty amount of gold. Mana stone, its uses were infinite.

Ned and the rest waited for the Twisted Tooth team to leave the room. Each of them threw a look at Ned before leaving. They even threw a look at Swift. But the latter just shrugged it off.

The door to the barracks closed, and Twali signaled the remaining to seat on the chairs. Ned sat with Twali on his right, and Arm and Bram on his left. Swift went to the three Companion and joined them standing against the wall. Sasani was the Lady of the House, but like Swift, she was a Companion. And standing against the wall was her place and she knew it, and it didn't even bother him. Ned could sense her excitement despite being exhausted from their fight.

But this made Twali uncomfortable. He almost stood and offered his seat to Swift even though two more seats were vacant.

Twali sat in the middle of the table, next was Ned, and the two Gold ranked hunter. Next to Bram were two empty chairs. Opposite them was the Hallowguard team. A team Ned needed, and he hoped so.

The leader stood first and introduced himself. He was called Hunter Jo. A gold rank hunter capable of molding rocks out of nowhere and infused it with water to form mud. A dual-element user, but he was a warrior with his set of heavy armor. Surprisingly, he doesn't seem to use blades or swords. This made Ned wondered if Hunter Jo was a pocket dimension bearer as well. Ned shook his head, no rings, or earrings. He doesn't have one.

Beside him was the unusual mage. Who, at first, seemed to be reluctant to introduce himself in front of Ned.

"I'm silver rank hunter," he said, pulling the necklace out his chainmail. "Hunter Ja." He paused, his eyes seemed wary of Ned, it was too distant Ned could feel the unwelcomeness lingering in his eyes. He waved the necklace for everyone to see. "Before you ask. Yes. I'm his brother—older brother." Eyes looking at Hunter Jo. The other hand held the spear behind his back. He nodded and went to sit back down. His eyes made Ned feel anxious.

Next were the twins, they stood in unison and spoke in unison. It was as if rehearsed countless times. "We are the twins of Hallowguard," they said. They raised their hands with the jade bracelet and pressed it against their chest. They then bowed and continued with their heads up.

This time they spoke one after the other.

"I am bronze rank hunter," the first twin next to Hunter Ja said. "Hunter Holly." She lifted her hand away from her chest and stretched outward, showing off her wind magic. A sphere of weightless light spun over her hand. The bracelet lit faint green. The bracelet was their choice of weapon. She unsummon the wind magic and sat back down. Again, eyes lingered on Twali.

After her twin sister finished, the other one retracted her dominant hand away from her chest and pulled something out a small leather bag hanging on her waist. She then stretched her hand, showing to everyone what appeared to be a seed. She muttered some words, then the seed sprouted leaf. Then leaf turned leaves as more of it grew. The leaves were connected to a vine, the vine then coiled around her arms. Like a snake, the vine pounced over the table. "I am Molly," she said. "A nature mage. I can control almost everything nature has to offer. As long as they're green though." She said those words with a smile toward Twali. She then waved a hand, dismissing the vine, crawling over the table. The vine withered and turned to dust. What remained was an empty seed, split between her hand.

They wore the same fitted dress, not the standard of House Tarragon, but the one that expressed their personality. Aside from their hands, neck, and head, almost all of their body was covered with a soft linen dress outlined with ornamentals and buttons like a seed.

Molly curtsied before she retracted herself back to the chair.

Ulysses then stood next, filled with energy. Ned wasn't sure if it was him or was it because of the two mana stone waiting to be snatched on the table.

Arm and Bram nodded as the Hunters presents themselves. Twali smiled, but neutral to all, aside from Swift. His eyes looking at his lady relentlessly. This made the Twins pouted their lips. Ned smiled, wasn't sure how Swift would react to this. Pretty sure Sasani noticed it by now, and pretty sure she was laughing silently under the mask.

"I am Ulysses," he said. Popping his chest with his bronze rank necklace. He scans the crowd, and his eyes laid to rest at the attendant next to the door at the far end corner. This gesture, however, wasn't noticed by the lady. Instead, his eyes went to Ned. "You, our employer, you're from the Forgotten Pint. Now I remember. You ordered a Lampaca meat from Master Claire. You also—"

Hunter Jo coughed, making Ulysses stopped and gave a frightful bow to him and Ned.

The bronzed hair knight ended with a flick of his hair. He then looked at Sujiro, nodding at him to proceed.

The rouge stood and said, "I am Sujiro." And he went back to his seat.

Ned nodded, but the latter seemed to make himself distant to Ned. He turned his head away from Ned and looked at the four companions at the end of the table with their backs against the wall. Swift aside, as now she stood with open legs.

The rest then laid their eyes on the companions. Swift took the first initiative and walked forward. "I am Swift," she said. "I'll be the team's Looter."

Ned stood. "I am, Ned," he said. Without waiting for Swift to finish. "I'll be the team's employer and Runner."

This made quite a ruckus from the Hallowguard team. Simple because every party needed only one set of Companion. Each set only includes one Looter, one Runner, and one Porter.

"Now," Hunter Jo said, "there seemed to be a problem here, Companion Ned."