The First Test Mission

Arc 1: The Tragic Hero

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Part 2: Lamara Village

They soared through the sky in the back of a black AA combat jet. It was the day of their first test mission, and they were all raring to go. Captaining the team was Instructor Brady, who piloted the jet from the front. By his side were Amanda and Leo, who had been tasked with supporting the team in case of any emergencies.

On the other hand, Nathan, Sindy, and Andrew sat at the back of the jet, all dressed in their new AA uniforms. The uniforms were a cool black that sat comfortably around their bodies. They were designed with numerous hidden pockets for storing weapons and other important items. They even wore cool black gloves to cover their hands. The uniforms were also made of special material that made them just as durable as any modern-day body armor, just with a lot less weight.

The males almost looked like a special ops squad wearing black long-sleeved turtle neck tops, long black pants, and black boots.

The females were especially attractive. Their uniforms were body-fit, grooving perfectly over their curves and edges like latex. The males could hardly keep their eyes to themselves.

"Everyone, we're almost at the village. Ensure your weapons and other important items are ready for combat if needed," announced Amanda.

Nathan's weapon was a black katana which was sheathed vertically across his back. During his training, he had trained his Lightning Art as his main Art Style since he was forbidden from using his Death Art. Due to this, he focused more on a speedy battle style, which was perfectly complemented by his new katana.

On the other hand, Andrew had chosen two silver curve-blade swords sheathed in an "X" across his back. Surprisingly, during training, he found that he had the talent for dual-wielding. Due to this, he preferred to utilize two swords at a time when it came to combat.

Finally, Sindy's weapons were two black steel-plated combat knives that she kept sheathed horizontally behind her waist. She found it difficult to use heavier weapons which allowed her to realize her talent for wielding smaller weapons.

"Listen up, kids!" Began the Instructor. "I'll be going over the mission details once more before we arrive. Lamara Village has suddenly had a spike in Demon Beast attacks. Previously, the village only suffered from minor attacks that the villagers were able to come together and fend off. However, with the new increase in Demon Beasts, the villagers have become overwhelmed. The situation there has gotten so bad that a few lives have already been lost. Alondo has tasked us with investigating the rise in Demon Beast activity in the area and finding a solution if possible."

"If you ask me, I think these poor people were unlucky enough to have a Spawn Point develop near their village," sighed Leo.

"A Spawn Point? Amanda mentioned something similar when we met back in the Dark Forest. What is it exactly?" Inquired Sindy.

"A Spawn Point is an area where Demon Beasts spawn and develop. In other words, it's their birthplace and impossible to get rid of once it forms."

The Instructor extinguished his cigar as he pondered. If a Spawn Point had truly developed near the village then that would mean serious trouble.

"Let's hope it's not a new Spawn Point. If it is, then the villagers are doomed. It's either they abandon the village or remain behind and die. Not that relocating would be much better since Demon Beasts will find them wherever they go."

A few minutes later, Instructor Brady landed the jet in an open area near Lamara Village. The team of assassins then exited the vehicle, quickly observing their surroundings.

The village was surrounded by numerous trees as far as the eye could see. The houses were made out of mostly stone and were in deplorable condition. Certain areas were dedicated to farm work, but even the crops seemed to be wilting. The entire area almost seemed colorless.

"This is not what I was expecting..." Muttered Nathan in shock.

"Your expectations were pretty high then," answered Amanda as she used her finger to check the quality of the soil.

"What do you mean? I know the people here suffer from Demon Beast attacks but isn't the Mind World filled with fancy technology? This place looks like a complete downgrade from what we've seen so far."

"The only ones with fancy technology are the ones that can afford it. Poor villages like this can hardly find enough money for food much less better living conditions."

Nathan, Sindy, and Andrew looked at one another with a hint of pain in their eyes. They realized that they had the wrong impression about the standard of living in the Mind World.

"How's the soil, Amanda?" Asked Instructor Brady.

"I hate to say it, but things might be worse than we thought. This land is dying. As you can see for yourself, the color of the vegetation around us is quite pale. This was probably caused by the increase in Demon Beast activity."

"If that's the case, we might end up staying in this village longer than we anticipated," sighed Leo.

Just then, a series of footsteps approached the group of assassins. They all looked a few paces before them to see a small group of people walking toward them. At the helm of the group was a muscular man in his early thirties. He had bright blue eyes and short black hair. A piece of white cloth was tied around his head, and his clothes were a bit dirty. He looked like a very hard worker.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. We've been expecting your arrival," began the man.

"Are you the village chief?" Queried the Instructor.

"Yes, I am. You can call me Chief Sawyer. I'm sorry for not being able to give you a warmer welcome, but I managed to gather most of the villagers here—"

"That wasn't necessary. We're here to investigate your Demon Beast problem."

"Right, excuse me for my lack of urgency, Mister uh..."

"You can call me Instructor Brady like the rest of my team does. Now to get to the matter at hand, the village is in terrible condition, but I'm surprised I haven't seen a single Demon Beast since arriving."

"Yes, about that... A group of Art Users arrived a day after the Demon Beast attacks started increasing and have been offering us their assistance in fending them off ever since. Because of that, we've been able to keep the Demon Beasts at bay until your arrival."

Instructor Brady narrowed his gaze in suspicion. Nathan and the others immediately noticed this. They also noticed how saddened the villagers looked as soon as this was mentioned.

"A group of Art Users?"

"Yes... Honestly, we have no idea who they are, or where they came from, but we were so desperate for help that we had no choice but to accept their assistance. You have to understand! If we didn't accept their assistance, we would have lost everything before you could arrive!"

"Hmm... I won't judge you for your choice of actions. I know just how difficult it can be to live under these conditions. You chose the most rational option. However, I can't see a random group of Art Users protecting your village for free."

Chief Sawyer's gaze immediately touched the ground. Even the other villagers began mumbling amongst themselves.

"It was a tough decision to make, but we had no choice. In exchange for their protection, we had to offer them 40% of the animals and crops we grow and a daily fee of 5,000 Memory Dollars. We could barely feed all the villagers before, but now that we were forced to make such an agreement with them, some of us haven't eaten a single bite in the past three days."

"Where are these Art Users now?"

"Some of them are currently out patrolling the area for Demon Beasts, but a few should still be somewhere in the village."

Instructor Brady then pulled out a pack of cigarettes before taking one and placing it against his lips. He then turned toward Nathan and the others as he got a small lighter and ignited his cigarette.

"Amanda, take Nathan and the other newbies with you inside the village to investigate. Leo, you stay with me for now."

"Do you need someone to go with them to show them around?" Quickly asked the chief.

"That won't be necessary," quickly stated Amanda. "If possible, I'd like everyone else to remain with the Instructor until we're finished with our investigations."

Amanda then nodded at Nathan and the others for them to follow her. A few seconds later, they arrived in the village to begin their investigation.

"Hey, Amanda, what did the village chief mean by Art Users?" Questioned Sindy.

"Come on, Sindy! I was just about to ask her that!" Complained Andrew.

"Andrew, we all know you're looking for the smallest excuse to hit on Amanda. This isn't the time for it! We're on a mission here!"

"To be precise, You're on A mission. I'm on TWO missions. My first mission is to help these people, and the second is to find a way to Amanda's heart!"

"Sigh... You don't even know if she has a boyfriend!"

Amanda chuckled at their childish conversation.

"Are you three always like this? You seem to enjoy each other's company quite a lot, which is not a bad thing. Friendship is something to treasure here in the Mind World."

"Most times we are, but Andrew has a habit of taking it to the extreme," answered Nathan.

"Hehe! I see. And to answer your earlier question, Sindy, Art Users are individuals that can use their Art Styles in combat but do not belong to any specific hero organization."

"Huh? So doesn't everyone in the Mind World use Art Styles for combat?" Asked Sindy in confusion.

"You'd be surprised. Even though everyone can use SE, not everyone does. Art Styles require delicate SE control, and not everyone is talented enough to master it to the point of creating complex attacks or moves. Others view Art Styles as violent and simply choose to abstain from using them even if they have the talent to do so. But most people like that usually end up living in poor villages like these or retreat to Safe Zones if they're wealthy enough to afford it."

"So does that mean these Art Users are taking advantage of these poor villagers? That enrages me..." Cursed Nathan.

"For them, it's just business. It's how they survive, so you can't really blame them. Besides, not everyone wants to become government dogs like us..."

"You say it like it's a bad thing..."

"Heh... That's a topic for another day."

Just then, they were interrupted by the sound of fast-approaching footsteps. This was when they noticed two figures approaching them. The first was a 14-year-old male with pale blue eyes and shaggy black hair. The second was a female that looked just a year younger with short blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes.

"Are you guys heroes?!" Quickly asked the boy.

"No, we're assassins, kid! Heroes are lame!" Teased Andrew.

"Sigh... Don't listen to this bigot. We're AA assassins, so we're still heroes," corrected Sindy.

"Finally! Dad didn't want us to meet you guys because he thought we'd just be trouble! But since you're here, I want to help you fight the Demon Beasts!" Continued the boy.

"Blake, you know we'll get in trouble for doing this! Let's not," timidly argued the other girl.

"But Mika, don't you want to get stronger and join a hero organization too? This is our chance! If we can show them just how strong we are, they might make us join them! This is AA we're talking about!"

Amanda pondered as she observed the two teens. They had a striking resemblance to the village chief.

"Blake and Mika, was it? Are you two Chief Sawyer's kids by any chance?"

Blake grinned proudly, pleased with Amanda's deduction.

"That's right! I'll become a hero and make enough money to move my entire village out of this dump and into a Safe Zone someday! So I'm going to show you what I got and make you accept us!"

"Oh? In that case, there's something you two can do for me. We're currently looking for the Art Users that showed up in your village to help with the Demon Beast problem. Do you mind taking us to them?"