Chapter 2 - The First Test (Part 1)

As the sun rose over the horizon, the members of the newly formed mercenary group, the Crimson Blades, gathered in the courtyard of their guild hall. The guild hall was a sturdy stone building, with a large central courtyard that was used for training and sparring. The members of the Crimson Blades were a motley crew of adventurers, mercenaries, and fighters, all looking for their next big score.

Among them was Kaida, the leader of the Crimson Blades. She was a fierce warrior, with jet black hair that was braided down her back, and piercing green eyes that seemed to glow in the morning light. Kaida had a reputation for being tough, but fair, and her leadership had quickly earned the respect of the other members.

"Good morning, everyone," Kaida said, addressing the group. "Today is our first official mission as the Crimson Blades. We've been hired to escort a caravan of goods from the nearby town of Elsia to the city of Argenia."

There was a murmur of excitement from the group, as this was the first real job they had landed as a guild.

"But before we set out, we need to test our skills and see where we stand," Kaida continued. "We'll be doing a mock battle to see how well we work together and to identify any weaknesses that we need to work on."

The members of the Crimson Blades began to pair off, each choosing a partner to spar with. Kaida paired up with a young swordsman named Tetsuo, who was eager to prove himself to the rest of the guild.

As the mock battle began, Kaida and Tetsuo clashed swords with ferocity. Tetsuo was quick and nimble, but Kaida was strong and experienced. They circled each other, their swords flashing in the sunlight.

Suddenly, Tetsuo made a misstep, and Kaida saw her opportunity. With a quick twist of her wrist, she disarmed Tetsuo and held her sword to his throat.

"Good effort, Tetsuo," Kaida said, offering him a hand to help him up. "But we still have some work to do."

The rest of the members continued their sparring, each testing their skills against their partners. Some were more successful than others, but overall, Kaida was impressed with the progress they had made as a team.

As the mock battle ended, Kaida gathered the group together.

"Overall, I'm pleased with our performance today," she said. "But we can't get complacent. Our mission is still ahead of us, and we need to be ready for anything that comes our way."

The members of the Crimson Blades nodded in agreement, ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead.