Chapter Six - Recruits

Tyler looked down at his watch at 4.55 PM. "Here we go." So he thought before pushing open the large wooden doors, leading to his new life within the Hunters. He looked at Roxy by his side, took her hand, and began to walk through the hollow corridors and towards the great hall for his "welcome speech."

"Ahh! Welcome back, Mr Brown. Early too. Good job." Bellowed the Grand Master, sitting upon his throne.

Roxy and Tyler kneeled before the throne,

"I wanted to make a good first impression Grand Master," Tyler replied before standing on both feet.

"You are off to a good start. Now down to business." The Grand Master rose out of his seat, "The Hunter's society works like this. You are trained from Recruit to an Apprentice, then to a High Apprentice. You then will reach Soldier status; there, you can choose what area you wish to study under. Monster Hunter, the name says it all, really. Phantom, mercenaries who work to protect this sanctuary and civilians, or a Prowler, a Hunter trained in both the Monster Hunter and Phantom classes. This is the hardest class to achieve as you are required to set standards, which you are under clearance to know as of yet. Prowlers are used as mentors due to their diversity in the field. The Grand Master stroked his beard, "Roxy is assigned to be your mentor. Being a Prowler herself and the one who brought you here, she would make you and your team a fine teacher."

"Yes, Grand Master," Roxy called before bowing and standing on the sidelines.

"You look confused, my boy." The Grand Master recognised, looking upon Tylers' face.

"I am Grand Master. You keep referring to a team, yet I am the only one here." Tyler explained; as he said this, four shadows approached from behind him.

"Ahh, just in time. Tyler, these are your teammates. Ava, Max, Charity and Elvie."

Ava was a small girl with platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She looked as if she was around seventeen years old, only a couple of years younger than Tyler and the youngest of the recruits. Tyler noticed she was very nervous by her trembling hands; maybe she was in the same boat as him?

Max was a muscular man, around eighteen, with jet black hair and green eyes. Tyler could tell instantly that Max was a loudmouth jock by his staggering walk.

Charity had dirty blonde hair and green eyes. She looked athletic, her shirt tight against her body, showing off her chiselled abs. Tyler assumed she was around eighteen years old and was the popular girl in college.

Elvie was an athletic girl who rocked dark purple hair and light blue eyes. She looked nineteen and kept her gaze upon Tyler the entire time.

"You five are the newest recruits of the Hunter Brotherhood. You will live together, eat, train, and fight together. Trust is essential for you to succeed both here and in the field." The Grand Master explained, "Roxy, could you please show the recruits to their dorm?"

Roxy nodded before leading the recruits out of the Great Hall and up a set of winding stone stairs before reaching a tall wooden door with a stone plaque that reads; Dorm 35C.

Pushing the door open, Roxy called: "Welcome recruits to your new home." The room was ample communal space, fitted with a large blue 'L' shaped sofa that extended against the back wall. A 40" flat screen 4K TV and a bookshelf filled with various authors and genres. An open fireplace filled with logs heated the room, evading the grasp of the stone walls. Two separate staircases were erected from the ground, leading to two glass doors.

Walking over to one set of steps, Roxy explained, "This leads to the girl's bedrooms, and the other is the boys. We understand that you wouldn't want to sleep in the same rooms, especially since you don't know one another. So, we made it easy for you. Feel free to check them out and choose whatever one you want. All are the same. Before starting the training, please get into your Hunter robes and meet in the communal room. I'll be back soon, so make yourselves at home."

The recruits shyly made their way to their chosen rooms and threw their bags onto their bed. Tyler looked around at the room he would sleep in from now on. He wasn't worried about his mother, as she would always be in the hospital working, so she'd never see that he wasn't home, and instead laid on his bed, sinking into the soft memory foam mattress. "The Hunter Brotherhood has gone all out!" He began to think, "4K TVs, memory foam mattresses!" Tyler wondered whether it was to butter them up before the worst came. Then, deciding to unpack, Tyler unzipped his rucksack, pulled out the clothes he had brought, and began hanging them up in the wardrobe.

Stumbling upon his Hunter robes, Tyler remembered he was asked to change and meet in the communal space and quickly changed before returning.

"Oh, I'm the first one here." Tyler thought before placing himself on the sofa, waiting for someone to join him; Tyler kept looking at his watch: two minutes went by, then five, then seven. Finally, someone left their room.

Tyler stood up and faced them, "I'm Tyler! How are you doing?"

"I'm Charity Griffs. I guess I'm a little shaken about the situation. What about you?" The Charity wore the same robes as Tyler, except her robes were pure white with yellow trim.

"I met Roxy a few days ago, so I have a small idea of what we are in for. Not to say I'm not scared, though." Just as Tyler finished his sentence, another girl walked through the door, wearing the same robes as Tyler and Charity, but grey with black trims. The girl sat down with the others. "Hi! I'm Ava!" Ava was cheery and bubbly with a giant smile that never left her face. "I'm Charity, and this is Tyler. You look a bit familiar." Charity focused her eyes on Ava's face, taking all the details she could.

"I probably look like Roxy. I'm her younger sister." Ava let out a squeal of excitement. Before Tyler or Charity could ask questions, Elvie and Max walked out of their rooms. "Ayy!" Max began, "Looks like we are all here!"

Elvie looked him up and down, "Quite a bland set of robes there, Max." Max was wearing robes coloured black with golden trim, whereas Elvie wore dark purple robes with red trim.

"Hey, guys! This is Charity and Tyler." Ava explained.

"Wait, do you guys all know each other?" Tyler asked.

"Well, Elvie and I are siblings, and I don't know the rest of you, so-" Max said.

"How did you guys all get into this place then?" Charity asked.

Ava looked around, waiting for someone to start before starting, "I am Roxy, our mentor, sister. Our family have been Prowlers for centuries, so it's more tradition for us to train here."

"Your our mentor's sister? Does that mean she's going to go easy on you?" Elvie asked.

"None of us can progress until we all pass the test. If Roxy goes easy on me, then none of us would become apprentices, let alone soldiers."

The Charity was next to tell her story, "Ever since I was young, I've been fascinated by the idea of mythical creatures; Griffins, Skin Walkers, you name it. When I turned sixteen, my family forced me into the Army and told me I needed to return to reality. Then, two years into my tour of Afghanistan, I came face to face with something known as a Langusar. Along with it, I met two Hunters. I helped take down the creature, and they gave me a place here."

"What's a Langusar?" Tyler asked.

"It's a horrible creature with a tragic origin. But, unfortunately, when a pregnant mother dies, sometimes the baby still grows. So what comes out is that. What about you two?" Charity indicated to Max and Elvie.

"See, I was brought in like Ava here, except it's my friend who's a Phantom. Elvie wasn't a part until our mother disowned her. That's a story for another day, though." Elvie turned whiter than Charity's robes.

Tyler was the last to tell his story, and he was scared. He didn't have a friend in the Brotherhood, nor was he joining by blood or killing a monster. Just as Tyler began to speak, Roxy returned, standing in the doorway, listening. "I went on a date with someone from my school. She was the new girl and was stunning. I first saw her in my science class and partnered up with her. We hit it off quickly and arranged to have a coffee later that day. We got a coffee and walked to a nearby rooftop to watch the sun go down. It was an amazing night. But unfortunately, it was cut short. A helicopter full of armed men came over. This girl was a Prowler and took them out for us, protecting me, and took me here to treat a knife wound I had sustained. The Grand Master gave me a choice. Join the Brotherhood or be killed. So I chose to join. I know it's not the grandest story, but it's true."

Ava placed her hand on Tyler's leg, "Don't worry! You deserve to be here just as much as we do. Especially if the Grand Master gave you a choice!"

Still standing in the doorway listening, Roxy wiped the tears from her eyes, pushed away the feeling of guilt and regret from her mind, and walked into the communal area with the recruits.

"You all look awesome! I'm thrilled to see you're all getting on together. Now, the training begins. Please follow me to the training area!" Roxy led the recruits to a large hall, similar to the Great Hall, except the floor was covered in firm protective padding. Racks of wooden weapons were affixed to racking upon the wall; "Please collect two wooden sticks from the rack and stand on this line." Roxy told. The recruits did as they were told and stood in formation.

"Hand-to-hand combat is something that you as a Hunter, no matter what class you go into, should try to refrain from getting involved. You never know what your opponent is trained in. Even so, it could save your life. Charity, come upfront here. I'm going to go slow, so don't panic. I want you to block my sticks with yours like this. Hold up your sticks, please." Charity did as she was told, holding her sticks up in front of her. Roxy placed her sticks on the inside and pushed away Charity's in a blocking fashion. "I want you to partner up, Elvie & Tyler, Max and Ava, Charity and I, and keep practising this. Only going faster if both of you are ready. You could hurt one another badly if you get hit with one of these at his current training level.

The pairs began to deflect one another's sticks, filling the hall with the sound of crashing wood. Max, preferring force over precision, kept missing Ava's sticks and became frustrated.

"Max, you've got this! Take a deep breath, and let's try again! We can take it slower if you want?" Ava asked, trying to reassure Max.

"I don't want to go slower! Look at Elvie and Tyler! They're doing so well!" Max replied, jealousy in his voice.

"Forget them for now, Max. Focus on me. You can't focus when stressed, so just take a breath and let's try again, okay?" Ava smiled at Max before offering him her hand. Taking it slower, Max and Ava began to work smoother, missing far less than before.

Tyler and Elvie worked much faster than the others as if it was second nature for them, their focus only getting stronger.

A whistle came from the entrance to the training hall; a man in black robes stood, beckoning Roxy to come over. She stopped Charity from continuing and made her way to the Hunter. Tyler noticed Roxy's absence, and his focus slipped, causing Elvie's stick to catch him just above the eye.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?!" Elvie asked, dropping her sticks and rushing towards Tyler.

"I'm fine. It was my fault. My focus slipped." Roxy saw the commotion and ran towards the group. "Tyler, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, my mind just slipped, and I missed the stick."

"Show me your head." Roxy looked at the bruise on Tyler's head, "You'll be fine. Just get some ice on it later on. Listen, team, I've got to disappear for a little bit, but I will be back. If I'm not back before the clock hits nine, please make your way to your dorm. If you get lost, you looking for dorm 35C."

"Is everything okay?" Tyler asked with concern.

"I have to see the Grand Master is all. It's nothing to worry about, guys. Now, as we are down, I would like Tyler to work with Max and Ava and help them speed up their form as you and Elvie were amazing, and Elvie, I would like you to work with Charity. Understood?" The recruits nodded; Roxy turned around and began to walk away. Tyler ran after her and pulled her aside, "Is everything okay, Roxy, seriously?" He asked.

"I'm not sure just yet, Tyler. I'll explain it when I'm back. What room is yours? I'll come to see you if I'm late back." Roxy asked with confidence in her voice which reassured Tyler.

"I'm in 2B. You promise everything okay?"

"I promise. I'll make it up to you later." Roxy called before running off out of the room. Tyler joined the others and began to help Max and Ava with their training.