Chapter 8: Special Grade
" Wherever there is light, there is darkness and wherever is darkness, there is light" short green hair female recited, dodging a devastating attack, she seamlessly beheading a Monster that took the form of a child.
On the other side of the battlefield, pure sliver strings warped around a curse that looked like multiple beings was wearing a human suit. With a final tug the curse was torn to shreds, large chunks of meat and purple blood spattered before evaporating.
This curse made with the fear of human-like beings, or rather, beings that are attempting mimic human. What made this curse tricker to excerise, was that it could absorb the techniques of sorcerers it killed– using them as it's own. It could also split itself into two parts, thus, both parts have to be excerised or else one would just grow another.
Ria Ona, the wielder of those strings, looked with slight indifference as the last of ashes went. "This is the second special grade seen this week, they're popping up fast. " she sighed
It's been two years since their grade 1 examination was concluded and three months since they have been Unofficial Special grade sorcerers.
Ever since the birth of the six eyes three years ago, curses have been seen coming in clusters and higher grade curses have been showing up randomly.
The number of people who could deal with these are few to none so the higher-ups are grasping at straws. Aka, sending out grade 1 and 2's together to fight these things and spending non-clan sorcerers thin.
" I'm Just glad that this is over. " Yurien Roku, her green haired friend, chirped. She was also an Unofficial special grade after sending a request.
In this era, Becoming a special grade is a bit different from all the other grades. Were you had to fight numerous entities ranging from grade 1 to 2, along with tag-teaming a weakened special grade under supervision to become a grade 1, To be a special grade you had to submit a form first. The waiting period afterwards could be a couple of days to even months before getting the go ahead to continue.
After being approved, you are then escorted by another special grade to begin the examination. If you pass, you are to head to the higher-ups before FINALLY becoming a special grade. If you failed the test, You're either dead or useful enough to be considered 'Semi'-special Grade.
The reason for the title is make you have a reason to come back and do the test. The title is supposed to be belittling however, some people are quite happy to be called 'second place'.
The best part in all of this is that you don't even know when or how the special grade is picking you up, so from the moment you submitted the request, it is advised to be on guard.
Despite all the stress the process causes, there are a lot of benefits to being special grade that out way most of the annoyances.
Ria nodded, " let's dine before reporting back, there's still one day before the deadline. "
Yurien sighed, " I'm starving! They better have some good food. "
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In the middle of a misty forest was cloaked figure wearing a bamboo hat and a black mask to hide his identity. The figure had bandages around his arms and ankles and had a sword strapped to his back. To complete the look, they wore Shinobi sandles.
This figure was not alone however, a few meters in front of them was a young girl dressed in white with long black hair that touched the ground covering her face. In her hand was a white flute.
Both stood in silence before it was broken by the girl, she tilled her head " Are you my daddy? " a distortion was heard.
"No." The man coldly said.
"Oh. Are you sure?" The girl raised her flute a little.
" Yes. My wife birthed two kids, you aren't either." Her flute was raised a little bit more.
" Play with me? " a smile could be seen underneath the curtain of hair.
The man frowned and pulled out his sword
" No. "
The girl then began to play the flute, as she did so, the trees bend and shaped to her will before launching at the man like vipers.
With an ease of that comes with experience, the man dodges the attack before cutting the wood. The man then pointed his hand towards the girl "Come out Orochi! "
Sensing the change in the man's cursed energy, the curse dodges just as a Great Serpent sprung from her shadow. The special grade narrowly avoided being excorised.
The battle wasn't over yet however, as the man suddenly appeared to her right and sliced off the arm that held the flute. The curse let out a scream but undeterred, the man kicked her towards orochi to be swallowed up.
A tree sprouted from the ground to block the snake's bite. The girl flipped and broke off a piece of the tree to make a next flute. Angrly, the curse played, raising the ground into spikes and thickening the mist to blind the man. The trees then stabbed everywhere causing the forest to be a jungle gym.
Her curse technique is called Productive sound. As she plays the flute, everything that hears the sound will bend to her will. While a powerful technique, it has downsides such as being unable to command everything without the flute and unable to effect living creatures.
'Interesting, very interesting' the man thought crouching on a tree high above hers and smothering his curse energy to almost zero.
'However, ' the man thought holding a sign to summon another shikigami,' while interesting, I have to cut this short. '
"Come out!Nue!" The man whispered, a bird flying out off his shadow and into the sky. After summoning Nue, he was spotted due to the fluctuations of his curse energy.
* Clink*
He deflected the metal launched at him before chucking his sword at full speed, pericing the curse. At the same time Nue, who was in the sky, launch a devastating lightening attack.
The devastating lightening attack coupled with the fact that his sword was a powerful conductor for lightening, there was no way the curse survived that.
The fight did not even last 10mins and the curse girl was excorised.
The man calmly picked up his sword and went on his way. He had work to do after all.
This was what it meant to be a special grade.
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A festival was being held In the far-off city of Nagoya. This festival; Shogatsu, was made to celebrate the locals surviving another year.
People were dancing, drums were playing, lights were flickering but the residents were happy and beautifully dressed.
In one of the many bars, two maidens watched as the populous went on about the festival.
Yurien sighed happily, her face flushed as she took a swing of the sake. " ah! That's the good stuff!"
Unlike her friend, Ria drank the sake in sips."It is, we'll have come back often. "
Yurien laughed, " right?!" A smiled danced on Ria's lips.
" look over there, " Ria pointed on a clearly- too intoxicated man trying his best to dance. But it just looked like he was tripping and almost falling again. " I can't tell weither he is trying to woo his friends or his girl"
Yurien looked over and whistled, the girl had turned her head away embarrassment. His friends however, seemed to be getting a kick out of it. " buddy's not doing a good job ain't it. He'll have a killer headache tomorrow for sure. " Ria hummed in agreement.
" Hello ladies!" An older gentleman with a bamboo hat slid in the seat next to them,
" Mind if I sit here?"
"Since you're already here, why don't you buy our next drinks?" Yurien slyly said, a palm hold her head up as her fingers circled the glass rim.
The man laughed, "The next one's on me then! The Name's Naota"
" Nice to meet you Naota, What brought a man like you around these parts?" Yurien asked curiously.
" I'm looking for two beautiful ladies to spend the night with~" he wiggled his brows.
"Hahaha" Yurien easily fell in the flow of conversation. Even after seeing it do many times, the way my friend easily navigated and deflected never cease to amaze me.
A few minutes of pleasant convention passed before Naota slid two papers across the counter. After a close inspection, the papers are revealed to be two bounty pictures of Yurien and Ria.
The smile on Yurien's lips froze and Naota's own smile got wider as a glint appeared in his eyes. " by any chance you two know these two wonderful ladies? "
The atmosphere shift a bit before Ria took hold of the conversation from there. A glint promising regret behind a perfect smile,
" Unfortunately not. I do however, wish you luck on your endeavors. May your search be fruitful. "
The stare-off lasted a few more seconds before Naota dramatically sighed and slid the bounties back into his pockets. " That's such a same. Shall we take this outside? "
He slide off the seat before walking outside. A moment passed without any movement from the girls, he paused and glanced back.
" Well? Are you not coming?"