11 The Stylish Striker

The sun was starting its descent by the time Curt helped Tera pick up the last coin. The two were now heading back to the dojo, with all five million accounted for in a patched up bag.

"I'm going to have to pack my things and let the dojo masters know I'm leaving Sahnju," Tera said as they climbed up the steps.

"You don't seem too torn up about leaving the dojo," Curt noted.

"I'm not. It's like you said, I'm never going to be a dojo master here anyways, so staying is just a waste of time."

"Yeah, about that, so how does it work exactly? If you're the strongest disciple and you're not going to ever be one, then who is?"

Tera looked at Curt in disbelief. "You don't know that either? I can't believe I was tricked by someone like you."

"You assumed I knew more. Not my fault."

Tera sighed, and continued marching up the stairs. "Each dojo master takes on a few direct disciples, and when they retire, one of those disciples is chosen to take over as a dojo master. Even if it's a disciple that has already left the dojo."

"So there's a stronger disciple out there?"

Tera shrugged. "Maybe — he used to be the strongest disciple when he was still around. Either way, I don't think Jinpuhn would chose someone like me over his son."

"Your Jinpuhn's disciple? Dang, I'm surprised you didn't leave this dojo sooner." That earned Curt a rare smile from Tera. "Anyways, what do you mean by 'someone like you'?"

Tera's smile faded. "I've got no proud lineage or ties with the dojo. I'm an orphan. I was taken in and raised by the dojo," Tera said matter-of-factly.

"Then this place must be like a home to you," Curt said. Ore Town might be a shitty town in the Dusts, but it was one place he felt comfortable with. It was there he knew where he belonged. Leaving that so suddenly wasn't as easy as Curt told himself it was.

Tera was shaking her head strongly. "I owe nothing to the dojo; whatever food and shelter they gave me when I was a kid, I paid them back in full and more. I also doubt anyone would miss me. It's not like I had friends here or anything."

They had passed through the twin dragon arch, and Tera waved away at the monk who ran up to greet them. He abruptly bowed and scurried off, never meeting her gaze. Was it fear? Besides the fact that she was called the 'strongest disciple' and ripped five million out of the Last Legion, Curt didn't find much about her scary.

"I'll meet you and your guild mates back down at the village once I get my stuff together," Tera said. "If they're new trainees, they're probably at the Dining Hall by now."

Curt nodded and parted ways with her. She might not be in tow with him when he finally met up with Xujen and Bauph, but at least he could still break the news.

One of the tan-robed monks helped point him to the Dining Hall, which was packed with mostly white-robed trainees devouring bowls of rice and various small dishes that dotted the long tables. Thankfully, Bauph's gleaming, golden hair and large stature made it easy to spot him in the crowd. Xujen's own flaxen head was also right beside him.

"Hey guys." Curt sauntered up to them, drawing some stares from trainees that probably wondered why a non-robed man was walking through the Dining Hall like he owned the place.

"Curt!" Bauph and Xujen both turned towards him, exclaiming his name.

"Where have you been?"

"Why aren't you in robes?"

Curt ignored both questions, and instead announced, "I recruited our target, so pack it up, it's time to go."

"You did what? How?" Despite his questions, Bauph looked relieved.

Xujen, however, looked crestfallen. "So soon? While I look forward to meeting the dojo's 'strongest disciple', I am saddened that our time is cut so short with the dojo. I had learned so much already, but I suppose we are on limited time to recruit for the tournament."

"Don't listen to Xujen," Bauph said, stretching his limbs as he rose from the bench. As he packed some of the small dishes into a makeshift to-go container, he added, "We spent almost the entire day scrubbing the dojo floors. All I learned is that my back is going to be sore tomorrow, I'm sure of it."

Curt was glad he didn't pass the entrance test after all, and that both of them forgot their initial questions. He hurried them along, impatiently waiting as the monks retrieved Bauph and Xujen's things, wanting to meet up with Tera soon, in case she decided to change her mind.

When the three of them were finally heading towards the village, the sun had already set and the sky was a dark blue. The most prominent stars were beginning to show themselves — a small cluster that always appeared around the south end of the sky. As Curt glanced up at them, he wondered if they were Yulia's lights.

Curt let out a mental sigh of relief upon seeing Tera leaning against the fence that bordered the village. She was only carrying a single bag, not much bigger than the five million one, over her shoulders. She was no longer dressed in the black dojo robes — instead she was wearing a stylishly cut top, and a pair of fashionable looking shorts. The lightweight gloves and shin guards were the only indication that she had been part of the dojo.

"Took you long enough," Tera remarked. She looked up and down at Bauph and then Xujen. "These are your guild mates, huh? They look like D-rankers, but I don't know what I expected."

"Our guild mates. You're a part of this now," Curt reminded her.

"For now," Tera said. "I'm guessing your guild just wants me to stay long enough to fight for you guys in the Grand Guild Tournament. Once that's over though, I'm out of here."

"You're the strongest disciple?" Xujen looked taken aback. He glanced at Curt, as if checking to make sure it wasn't a joke or some lie to trick Otto so they'd leave early. Curt just gestured back that she was the real deal. Even if she was dressed in vogue clothes and had double the hair of all of them combined.

"Not anymore," Tera replied. "I'm probably not returning to the dojo, so they can hand that title to someone else."

Tera pushed herself off the wall and began to walk to a carriage right outside the village gates that Curt had just noticed.

"See you guys there," she said as she pulled herself into the carriage.

"Wait, what about us?" Bauph called out.

"What about you guys? Find your own ride, I paid for this one," she called back. Tera pulled the carriage door shut and commanded the driver to start moving. Within minutes the carriage was far down the road, heading down the mountain.

"You know," Curt began as they watched the carriage disappear from sight. "We should've arranged a ride back. This place doesn't get too many travelers who might agree to take on three hitchhikers heading back to Endyre."

"We should set out immediately," Xujen said. He began jogging down the road after the carriage. "We don't have time to waste, and running is one of the purest forms of training. We may not be training in Sahnju, but training is something we should keep up no matter where we are. This journey back to Endyre will test our endurance and our willpower."

Bauph just groaned. "Says the guy who doesn't have to carry around a cross-shaped anchor on his back." Bauph began to jog after Xujen though, knowing they were left with little choice.

Curt followed behind the two. It looked like he'd get some training after all.

---

Curt discovered a few things on the way back to Endyre. The first was that stamina was not his strong suit. It didn't need to be back up in the Dusts, where fights were fast and furious, and agility mattered more for running away in a city. He somehow managed to keep himself jogging, even if he lagged far behind the other two.

The second was that despite his complaints and how much he seemed to hate it, Bauph seemed like he could run forever — even with the giant cross strapped to his back. Curt figured the cross weighed more than he did. He tried picking it up once. Keyword: tried. Within the first hour of running, Bauph steadily overtook Xujen, and kept the lead since.

The third was that Xujen overheated easily. It didn't take long for him to be forced to stop, cool himself off, and then dash off again to catch up. And so their formation seemed to interchange between Bauph, Xujen, and himself and Bauph, himself, and Xujen. Back and forth. Every hour.

When Endyre finally came into view, Curt wasn't sure if he'd seen a more beautiful sight. Even as they stumbled into their headquarters, the thin bed pallet on the ground looked as plush as a feather mattress.

As he collapsed on his bed, almost causing himself to break an arm on its hard surface, he realized something was off. He looked around the room. Xujen and Bauph were both lying on their beds as well, looking passed out. A suspiciously cleared area stood where Otto's bed once was. And Tera was nowhere to be seen.

He sat back up in alarm just as the door burst open. Otto strolled inside, looking almost like a respectable gentleman in what appeared to be a brand new, sleek suit with a matching fedora. Curt could barely recognize Otto without his usual stubble and his unkempt, patchy suit.

"You guys are finally back! Man, I was worried you three got lost on the road or something," Otto said, beaming. "I've got great news to share. So pack up your stuff so I can show you our new base."

"New base?" Bauph muttered weakly, not bothering to move off his bed just yet.

Otto nodded vigorously as he swept some of his leftover stuff into his arms. "While you guys were doin' a great job recruiting Tera, I was busy findin' us a sponsor."

"We have a sponsor now?" Curt couldn't believe anyone sane would waste money on a D-rank, nobody guild like their's.

Otto grinned at Curt. "Of course, we do. Any reputable guild has one. Thanks to our sponsor, we're able to move up a bit in accommodations. We even got our own rooms!"

Xujen's legs were shaking from the arduous journey forced upon them, but he stood up and began to gather his things. "I'm not surprised," he said. "It was only a matter of time before our talents would be realized."

"Where is Tera anyways?" Curt asked, trying to buy himself a little more time before he had to move.

"Oh she's out shoppin' in High Town, I think," Otto said. "Don't worry though, I made sure she signed up as a member of Point Blank before I let 'er go."

Otto didn't seem to notice — or care — that they had just run the entire way back to Endyre as he rushed them to gather their things and ushered them out of the room. Once they were all out, he locked the door behind him.

"What's the point of that?" Curt asked. They had never locked the door before, and he doubted it would matter. The door looked so flimsy, he wouldn't be surprised if it just fell over one day one its own.

"In case we need this place again," Otto said. "Wouldn't want squatters to hole up in here while we're away." As if they weren't squatters living in there, Curt thought.

Otto led them out of Low Town and into Mid Town, where the streets were still dirty but at least paved, and more reputable merchants hawked their wares. He stopped before a decently sized building with two stories. It had glass paned windows and a sturdy, wooden door. What a luxury.

"This here is our new guild headquarters." Otto unlocked the front door and gestured them to head inside.

"Room at the end of the hallway on the second floor's already mine, but feel free to pick any of the rooms for yourselves," he said, dropping the armload of stuff down on a wooden table.

The place was sparsely furnished, but it had all the basics. An old, untended fireplace sat in one corner, and there was a small, but functional kitchen on one side of the wall. Curt walked through the house, counting a total of five rooms. Four were available if Otto wasn't letting else share his own. The place was at least a definite upgrade from Low Town's.

"How'd you get your hands on this?" Bauph asked, almost suspiciously.

"Told you we got a sponsor now," Otto said. "Gave me a loan so I could buy this place. But this is just the beginning. Once we get big and really start rolling, High Town is in easy reach."

"Who's the sponsor?"

"You know her," Otto said. "Kirina made it big, and as a friend o' hers she loaned me some cash to afford this place."

"To me that sounds more like we have a loan shark than sponsor," Curt remarked. He dropped had dropped his stuff off in a room upstairs, where it had a window facing the alley behind it. It'd make a good escape route, if he needed it.

"Don't say that. Kirina and I go way back. When I told her we got the strongest disciple from Sahnju in our ranks, she finally shelled out some money. She's not hurting on money either. Apparently her whole reinforcing business is boomin'. Every fighter's getting upgrades from what I hear."

"Good for her," Bauph said. "But really, good for her. If it's her I got to thank for finally having a proper bed to sleep on, I really hope she's doing well."

"By the way, Tera called dibs on that room," Otto called after Xujen who was looking at one of the ground floor rooms. Then Otto seemed to remember something and ducked into the closet under the stairs. After a minute of rummaging, he reemerged holding a package wrapped in paper.

"Just remembered. She got y'all presents." Otto tossed a bundle onto the table. Digging through it, they found new clothes addressed to each of them. Curt pulled out a surprisingly faithful Duster-styled coat. It had to be custom made, and definitely not cheap going by the material. Xujen was holding silvery robes that matched his color of Shrieking Vapor. Bauph had a new chest plate that no longer had the Holy Order's symbol in its center -- instead there was a skull with a cross shaped fracture down its center.

"What's that supposed to be?" Bauph asked, pointing at the new symbol.

"Our guild emblem," Otto said looking proud. "Drew it myself. That armor smith she hired for the job cleaned up my sketch real nice though. It's also on all of our new threads." Otto pointed to the symbol on his suit's lapel. Curt noticed his was on the back of his coat, and Xujen's was on his sword-arm's sleeve.

"Well, tell Tera thanks," Curt said. He hadn't gotten new clothes in who knows how long. With the new clothes and home, he was starting to feel like Point Blank might be becoming a legitimate guild.

"She also told me to let y'all know that there was no way in hell she'd be seen near you guys with what y'all were wearin'. Anyways," Otto continued on, seating himself at the table. "I've already got a lead on our next recruits."

"Oh Stars, we just got here," Bauph said, sinking down into a chair himself. "Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

Otto shook his head gravely. "No can do. We're only halfway done with the member requirements, and time's a-tickin'. Luckily, this time we'll kill two birds with one bullet. The lead I got is on two potential recruits."

"Two?" Curt leaned against the kitchen counter. There were unfortunately only two chairs. Xujen nobly kept standing, his legs shaking with strain.

"Yeah, this time you have two targets to recruit by tomorrow night."

"Why so soon?" Bauph asked.

"Because they're about to join another guild in two days. We've only got tomorrow to convince them otherwise," Otto said. "I already filled in Tera, so ask her for more information. Now go get some rest guys. You did good."

As Otto was on his way to leave, he stopped by Curt. "By the way, Curt," he said, looking directly at the young gunslinger's eyes. "One of the marks is apparently a fellow Duster. So make sure he joins us, alright?"

Another Duster. And here, Curt thought he was pretty unique.