- The Stationary [2]

"What do you mean we can't register!"

A loud voice tore through the large wooden building, echoing off its beams and walls, but easily drowned out by the crowded voices of the dozens and dozens that were seated in the grand building, talking, chatting, and planning.

Among these people, was Lia, a medium sized woman, casted into a 'small' sized label within the grand building.

As of right now, she currently stood in front of the reception desk, where a small but cold woman stood, her back to Lia as she currently went over a few papers in her hands.

"As I said before, the amount of people within your party is insufficient to go on a raid against the goblin horde. While these goblins may only be in small packs of ten or twelve, you would still need a total of two more participants if you wished to go on any raid while you're here."

"But I was able to go on one before this!"

The woman turned to Lia, her face reeking of disgust and annoyance as if her mere presence was repulsing.

"Well, under normal circumstances, that would only be allowed for single party members, while you're here with two others, it clearly means that you would be under the effect of the Post's rules for group raids."

Clenching her fists, Lia fought back against lashing out at this woman, who she saw only moments ago give out a raiding notice to a group of two as a party.

Yet, here she was claiming that they needed two more to make a full party, and she would not be giving out any notices to them at all.

The mere thought of being treated unfairly compared to the others made her furious.

"So, what you're telling me is that I can go on a mission - alone - against an entire nest of C-class monsters, yet I can't go up against a dozen or so F-class monsters, because of baggage?!"

Lia's anger was beginning to show, as was Lukali's and Rian's, who silently watched from behind her, letting the voices of their own opinions flow through her.

However, this was not something that Lia would have normally gotten mad at, given that she was indifferent most of the time to arrogant and foul hearted individuals, since she had grown up around them all her life. Yet here she was getting mad.

Why?

Simple. It wasn't because the receptionist refused them, nor was it the fact that she had outright claimed their actions in the spider's den did not suffice, even though so many died.

It was her indifferent attitude to the whole thing that set Lia ablaze with anger.

"I'm sorry, but even with your 'achievements' I cannot let you take notice. I apologize for the inconvenience. Please find another post to adhere to your demands."

The way she pried at the word 'advancements' as if she was questioning whether they deserved the word, only served to fuel Lia's rage.

Slamming her fist on the counter, startling the receptionist, she no longer hid her anger, as it was clearly seen from her contorted and emotional face.

"Listen here you little sh*t. I don't care if your some big shot at this Post, but at the end of the day, your still a f*cking receptionist! I don't give two sh*ts about your 'requirements' that clearly don't apply to other people, so just give me the notice!"

The receptionist, not paying attention to Lia's words, raised her hand to call for a security member of the building, until her eyes landed on Lia's and she froze.

Lia's eyes were currently red, a far cry color from what they once were. Yet this was not what made her so afraid. It was the rage and anger that had been pumped in to fuel the fire behind her eyes, as hes clearly was not leaving room for any misunderstandings.

If the receptionist didn't do as she was asked, Lia would attack.

Secretly, the receptionist gulped down a mouthful of saliva, petrified for several minutes out of sheer fear.

Of course Lia had no real intention of doing any of this, as her own mind was not in the right place, though she could still think clearly about what was right and what was wrong.

The anger being fueled into her eyes, as well as their appearance was due to Cian, who was just as equally annoyed with this 'bug' as he called her.

But just as Lia seemed to lash out, a firm hand clasped her shoulder, and a soothing but deep bellowing voice rang out next to her.

"Whoa there girly. Don't want a war breaking out in our hands now do we?"

Lia turned to face the owner of the voice, surprised to find it was Randolph, the man whom she met within the Tavern, having taken the time out of his day to scare off the four cloaked individuals.

"Rand-"

"Randolph!"

Lia's words, even as they were leaving her mouth, were disregarded, the receptionist interrupting her with a small, slight burst of joy.

"Beck, a pleasure to see you again."

He gestured between Lia and Beck, a question running across his gaze.

"So…what's going on here."

Lia sighed and attempted to answer him, only to be interrupted by Beck once again, causing her already clenched fists to dig even deeper into her skin.

"This young lady here was very rude. She asked for a notice on the goblin Hunt, the one everyones been talking about, but I told her no. Post rules state that a party must consist of five or more people when dealing with a raid of this size."

"What's the rank of these goblins? Certainly not more than E-rank. Though I know some Hoth Goblins are D-rank, surely there aren't any of those present now are there?"

The receptionist backtracked a little, appearing smaller than before, her confidence diminishing.

"R-rank F. They're rank F monsters at best."

"At best?"

Randolph frowned, one eyebrow raising in confusion.

"Then what's the problem?"

"A-"

As the receptionist was about to answer Lia spoke up, clearly looking for answers to certain questions that had gone unanswered.

"Hold on. First off, tell me why we 'would' be allowed to go on this raid, if you don't mind."

Laughing to himself, Randolph nodded his head.

"Not a problem at all. Normally for the Post's rules to apply, they have to meet certain requirements."

As he listed them off, he held one finger out for each requirement, totaling out to five.

"They have to be a group, and a registered group at that. They have to be going in a raid against more than ten monsters at a time. And those monsters have to be ranked D at best. Past that you'll have to follow certain rules when going out raiding."

"Anything else?"

"Well, there are two other requirements, but those things don't normally involve a party per say. It's more about the ranking of the party, rather than the individual."

Lia saw the perfect opportunity to bring out the receptionists true colors, and did not pass on such a chance.

"So then, tell me. Why were we refused when we asked for a goblin notice - a Rank F monsters class - when our party didn't meet any of those requirements except the first one? Technically speaking we shouldn't be applied to the rules at all, let alone refused because of them."

"Well…perhaps…no…"

As Randolph struggled to find a good reason for why they could have been refused, Lia took a glance over at the receptionist, who was currently giving her the death stare, her eyes seething with rage.

"Well, to be honest I don't think there is a rule that states you can't do this. But you say you were refused?"

"Yes."

Randolph turned to Beck, who had a nervous expression on her face, clearly afraid of what would happen next.

"Beck, do me a favor and bring me out Carlena, would you?"

"Oh, but sir Randolph, I can just write them a notice. There's really no need to -"

"Beck."

He said sternly and with authority in his tone, causing Beck to freeze up on the spot.

"Bring me Carlena."

Seeing that she had no other option, Beck nodded before running off into the back to call for Carlena.

Seeing this from the sidelines, Lia took a guess on Randolph's true identity.

'He must be pretty important for them to listen to him like that. I'll make note of that.'

Randolph turned to her, breaking her train of thought.

"Carlena is an old friend of mine. Been here since I joined up. She'll set you all straight."

Sighing, Lia found herself indebted to Randolph once again.

"Thank you Randolph. Seriously."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Hunters help Hunters, that's the way these things normally work out."

Soon after he finished talking, a woman with black hair and an experienced looking gaze came out from the back.

Alone.

"Randolph, why are you here calling for me, of all the times like this? I've got nearly two dozen orders for that stupid goblin raid everyone's been talking about."

Chuckling, Randolph ignored her first question, taking much more care about the goblins.

"They're starter monsters. Any two step Hunter will want a piece of them. If they fail, they aint strong enough yet. Succeed, it might be time to register."

He glanced over at Lia after he said this.

"Not you of course, don't worry. Most of the people in here would be too scared to stand up to that receptionist - Beck and walk away. Trust me, you're already a cut above the rest."

Sighing, the woman - Carlena - held her head in her hands, focusing on Randolph first.

"And that's just what I need, more Hunters like you running around swinging their axes like it's some type of drunken party."

Flinching at her words, Randolph politely smiled, his lean behavior from before disappearing in an instant.

"Can we not talk about that please?"

Sighing once again, Carlena turned to Lia and her party, clearly sizing them up from afar.

"So let me guess, you want in on the goblin raid?"

"Well…"

Lia scratched the back of her head, hesitant to answer.

"...we don't want to participate in the big raid."

Frowning, Carlena looked over to Randolph who simply shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't want to raid? Isn't that why Randolph called me out here? To help you?"

"Uh…Well, you see, the problem wasn't in getting a notice for a raid. The receptionist - Beck - wouldn't allow us to take on a normal Hunt, claiming we had too small a group."

Sighing again - which she seems like she did a lot - Carlena shook her head.

"Honestly that girl thinks she's the Postmaster."

Taking out a small piece of paper with several questions on it, Carlena began asking them out one by one, filling in the blanks for the missing answers.

"I'll assume you are just starting off?"

"Uh, no. We took down a rank C spider dungeon not too long ago."

Stopping mid sentence, Carlena looked at them with a question in her gaze.

"Rank C? Why are you going after a bunch of low life Rank F goblins if you took down a Rank C dungeon?"

When no one answered, she looked to Randolph who chuckled with a look of 'I told you so.'

"Now do you get why I called you?"

Turning back to the group, Carlena, still unconvinced, asked for proof.

Before Lia could answer, Rian stepped forward, producing a small piece of paper from his coat pocket.

"This should be the required information."

Taking the letter, Carlena carefully crossed her eyes over the words, leaving not a single detail untouched.

When she was done, she silently handed the letter back to Rian, who pocketed it.

'I guess he had that all along.'

Lia thought, smiling to herself knowing Rian had come prepared to join them.

After several seconds of silence, Carlena looked between Lia and Randolph before she silently mumbled to herself.

"Dear gods, she reminds me of you already."

Though she tried to keep it quiet, Randolph heard it loud and clear, laughing his big booming laugh that shook the ears of those nearby.

"Hahaha! What did I tell you?"

Gesturing to the group, Randolph motioned to the paperwork in front of her.

"Well, how about it? You think they're mere starters?"

Releasing a breath of disbelief, Carlena picked back up the pen she was holding and began writing again.

"No Randolph, I think they're still starters. Starting off as monsters though I can say that much."

"Um, excuse me…"

Just then, a voice sounded out beside them. Lia raised a small hand as if to ask a question.

"Is it that big a deal to have cleared a Rank C dungeon?"

Dropping the pen, Carlena held her head in both her hands, moaning from the mind numbing exhaustion she could see herself undertaking. All the while Randolph was bursting into laughter.

"I swear…monsters indeed."

Piping up, Randolph paused his laughter to answer the question, dissmising what Carlena had just said.

"I could name about only half the people here who have cleared a Rank C dungeon, let alone someone with only two squad mates. In fact, I've never seen someone clear a Rank C dungeon with any less than ten in a group, let alone three!"

Scratching her cheek, Lia sheepishly confessed, hoping not to excite them any further than they already were.

"Well, I am a summoner so…I guess that helps?"

However, what she didn't expect next was for Carlena to bang her forehead against the ground, while Randolph nearly fell over laughing.

Through his laughter, he was barely able to form any words to explain himself.

"Haha-haha! Kid, I've seen groups of ten or more - a good lot of them were summoners too, but they always came back in failure, or didn't come back at all! Hahaha!"

Lia was still somewhat confused, so Carlena explained in further detail.

"Essentially, what this means is that not only will your party's rank reflect your overall average skill, but we also have to include the fact that you have a summons. Meaning your entire rank could shoot up to an entirely new class."

Rubbing her head, Carlena mumbled to herself.

"What a headache this is going to be."

Now Lia understood, and thinking back, somewhat sympathized with the Hunters back in the Rot Walkers guild. They had been pretty upset to find out that she was summoner,

It all seems a little too unfair.

"Alright then, let's tally up all the points."

She gestured to each of them individually, questions already forming on her tongue.

"What are your classes?"

First she asked Lia then Rian, who both answered almost immediately.

"Swordsman."

"Fighter."

For Lia it was obvious that she was a summoner, as well as a magic user, but if that was all taken away, she was a swordsman down to the basics of all basics.

As for Rian, he had always been a simple fighter, fighting with his fists and gauntlets rather than limiting himself to one weapon alone.

When it came time for Lukali to answer, he hesitated, stumbling over his own words.

"Uh…w-well I…you see-"

'Ranger.'

"Ranger."

Lia answered for him, echoing the words Cain said to her out loud. She trusted Cain's intellect enough to believe his guess in his class style, plus, in some ways it did make sense, as he wasn't limited to only one weapon.

Unlike Rian who didn't limit himself to one weapon but not picking one up, Lukali was the type of person who could pick up a weapon, but not feel tied down by them.

He was limited only by the weapons he picked up.

As Lia had also seen, given that any weapon she offered to Lukali, he seems almost uncaring to any type, claiming that his father had taught him to wield all types of weapons in case the situation required his access to one taken away.

Therefore, Lia had no qualms with the class Cain had bestowed upon him.

"Ranger…alright. I have a swordsman / summoner. A fighter. And a Ranger. Anyone else in your party."

Lia shook her head, but then thought about the possibility of including more into their party if it required them to do so.

Seeing her hesitation, Carlena shook her head, and marked "Open" rather than "Closed" or "Limited" like other Hunters who had a party would have chosen.

"Alright. Tallying up everything I've decided to label you all C - rank, but your party will have to start off at F- rank for now."

Taking notice of Lia's reactions, as her face contained hints of disappointment, Carlena slightly chuckled.

"Don't worry. This only means that you don't have enough experience as a party. When it comes to your real rank, anyone can see that on your license."

As if to make a point, Carlena took out three small sheets of paper, each being given to the one whose name was written on it.

"These are only temporary. Until I can get the permanent ones engraved, these will have to do. But it won't take more than a day at most, which should be plenty of time to Hunt."

Taking the paperwork sheet from before her, she turned it around to face them, a pen at its side.

"Now all you need is your name, and you're all set. So, what do you plan on calling yourselves?"

They all looked between each other, questions lingering in their minds and gazes, until Rian glanced at Lukali, and they both seemed to come to a conclusion together.

Patting Lia on the back, he motioned to the paper in front of her.

"I think the party leader should decide that."

"Wha-what? Me?!"

Lia was flabbergasted, shocked that they would have her choose a name, but her nerves soon calmed after seeing the faces of Lukali and Rian, both firm with resolve.

Sighing, she turned to the paper on the counter, her mind racing with different ideas.

'W-what do I call us? What would a good name be? What if I screw it up?'

Her mind was flooding with these questions, her anxiety peaking at the thought of a name - something people would know them as for the rest of their parties existence.

However, that all vanished when Cain spoke, his mind soothing the chaos growing within her.

'Pick something you wish to achieve. Something that you want to grasp, or know. Something that you already know. It doesn't matter where the name comes from Lia, just let the name come.'

Taking a deep breath, Cain's words soothing her growing anxiety, Lia breathed out a sigh of relief.

And it was then it hit her.

Quickly taking the opportunity to write it down, Lia didn't waste a second in doing so, afraid the name would slip and disappear from her mind.

When she was finally done, they all leaned in to see the name that was written.

Though many thoughts flooded their minds when they saw this name, one thought was shared amongst them all.

'That is a name to be engraved in stone. In history. In legend.'

On the paper, written in a clear black ink, no splotches or mistakes in spelling, was open word.

A name.

A title.

An identity.

'Endless.'

And thus, Endless was born.