A New Challenger Approaches!

The salty smell of the sea was something that Darius had taken a strong liking to. In fact, being on a ship has always been very enjoyable to him—the feeling of absolute freedom on the open ocean was something that the Desierto mage couldn't get enough of. However, he wasn't on a ship just for shits and giggles, he was heading to a destination: Divide Island.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and the sun was shining bright and beating down on both Darius and the rest of the crew. However, he enjoyed the heat, the harsh heat of the sun, because it was something he had gotten used to during his childhood days in...well.

In Desierto.

However, those hellish dunes were the last thing that the mage wanted to think about. Everything that he had to endure their during his childhood, if you could even call slavery something as innocent as that, was something that bore scars into Darius both physically and mentally. He took a deep breath, and walked towards the bow, seeing the large island and he put on a sly smirk. He was almost there.

Darius' pals in the mercenary company he was once in had told the young man that the West Fiore Trading Company not only pays good money for good work, but the organisation was well-befitting for someone so in love with the idea of adventure and being free. Darius chuckled, thinking, you geezers better not just punking me, I'll kick all of your stupid asses if you are.

"We're almost there, young master Darius." The captain informed.

Darius looked back, his shining, golden eyes glowing with anticipation, and acknowledging, "Thanks, captain."

"Anything for a friend of Marcel, by the way, where is that asshat?"

"If I know anything from experience, he's probably in the pub with the rest of the company." Darius chuckled, before seeing a gorgeous young woman whisper a few things to the captain, and adding, "Hey cap, who was that gorgeous young lady who was just speaking to you? If I may, I might ask for her n-"

"That's my daughter." The captain interrupted, unamused.

"Oh...so can I-"

"No."

"Okay."

The captain sighed, shaking his head, before muttering what sounded like threats to Darius, walking away from the white-haired mage. Darius simply snickered to himself and continued to look at the island, waiting to reach the next chapter of his life.

***

As the ship docked, the captain walked up to Darius, who had a duffel bag full of his things slung over his back. The captain offered his hand for a shake, and the mage accepted in, giving him a firm shake.

"Well, Darius, it's been an...experience, having you on my ship. Stay safe out there." The captain stated.

"Thanks captain. If you see Marcel, tell him I say hi. Oh, and about that daughter of yours..." He began.

"Get out of my ship, Al-Sayyid."

"Got it."

Darius exited the ship, taking one last look at it, before heading towards the main building. Darius pulled out a pipe from his bag, and sprinkled some herbs in before lighting it and inhaling it. The smoke tasted like a soothing mixture of apple and mint. He exhaled, allowing a puff of smoke to materialise. He began to walk towards the main building of the WFTC, duffel bag in one hand, and pipe in the other.

"Here we go..." Darius muttered under his breath, unaware of everything that was waiting for him once he joined.

On the bottom marble step sat Ruvel, even though he was male to look at him you would truly think you would be talking to a female, at current he was wearing a white cotton shirt and hakama, on his left arm there looked to be an ice blue ribbon tied in a bow, his raven black hair with silver and gold streaks would be tied up neatly with a matching ice blue silk cord. In his hands there where a bunch of papers that he was fretting over 'I wish they didn't give me this stuff, I can't do it...' he thought to himself, he still had no idea how he was meant to do paperwork and approve things if he couldn't read or write 'You need to start learning Rui, it's important given your station now' she knew that this wasn't his fault and these two things he may never really learn fully but she wanted him to try. 'Demi, I shouldn't learn... they'll just take it from me or hurt me for doing it.' he sent back to her shaking.

Just then a strong but warm wind blew past making the papers in his hand scatter 'Just my luck, can anything else go wrong today?' he thought, he had managed to get out of training so far that day but wasn't to sure how long his luck would stand with that one. Getting up he started gathering the papers unaware that someone new was walking up to join their ranks until he quite literally banged into him sending the smaller lithe youth tumbling backwards again releasing the paperwork to try catch himself 'the answer to that is yes.' he looked up with dual colour eyes to see if it was someone he knew but was surprised to see the olive toned male "Forgive me, it's been one of those days..." he mumbled quietly his hands going front of his face for a little, he knew Cirven would find out that he had apologised in such a manner but it wasn't a habit that was going to break any time soon.

The warm summer heat was like a thick layer on Divide Island, wrapping the entire place in a humid aura with the sun shining down relentlessly, making the already tropical climate of Tolgalen uncomfortable for anyone who wasn't used to such an environment. Johann was walking down the main road from the West Fiore Trading Company's headquarters building to Anhew in this striking weather. He had gotten used to the environment on Divide, feeling quite happy with the warmth of the afternoon sun. He couldn't stand the snow and the cold, a remnant from when he used to live on the street and winter was a struggle. Those times were long gone, however, and he had now been a member of the West Fiore Trading Company and, what most people didn't know, it's dark twin, Black Sails for quite some time, his loyalty lying solely with the company, his new family.

Like that, lost in thoughts, Johann was wandering down to Anhew for a few minutes, the large docks and storage halls to his left and the town center of Anhew to his right. He had ordered something from a friend and partner of the company, now going to pick it up, taking a turn towards the large market in the middle of Anhew. As Johann approached, the air was filled by all kinds of scents of baked goods, spices and other meals. On every corner another merchant sold another product, and the area was brimming with life. Johann couldn't help but love the atmosphere of the small port town on Divide Island as it greatly reminded him of his old home.
With that, dressed in his white and grey suit that doubled as one of his official company uniforms, he entered one of the small shops just on the outside of the market area, a small bell signaling his entrance.

"Good day, James. It's me Johann" he called out for the familiar man to hear, a short, somewhat chubby brown haired man appearing from another room, welcoming him with open arms. "Ah, Johann, what took you so long ? Your package has been sitting here since this morning" the man let out a warm laugh. "I do apologize, I was somewhat busy with Company issues" Johann sighed a little and the man handed him a small bag. Johann was happy that his spices had finally arrived, giving the other before him a small bow "Thank you, I'll make my way back to the HQ now. If you ever need anything, do let me know, my friend." With that, he left the small corner shop, waving the man a goodbye, making his way back into the scorching summer sun and onto the main road. He knew that those would be just the right thing for his cooking, he had requested them personally, after all.

A smile on his face and the bag of spices in his left hand he walked back uphill again, heading straight back to the WFTC HQ for a cool drink. That only added to his surprise when he, almost back at the Company building, unexpectedly ran into his fellow guild member and friend Ruvel, standing beside a white haired man that was unknown to him in a seemingly disorganized and confused state, with small and large pieces of paper alike spread across the stones of the road. "Ruvel ? Are you okay ?" he asked the young man, still having difficulties being comfortable with addressing the young man informally. "Let me help you" he got down, picking up several sheets before handing them to Ruvel. "Who is your new acquaintance ?" he asked both the man he didn't know and his guild mate before bowing to the stranger in a respectful manner. "Johann von Weiss. Member of the West Fiore Trading Company and Vice President in training. Pleased to make your acquaintance. May I ask your name ?" he concluded his introduction, examining the white haired man from head to toe with curious eyes.

Yona had not been there long and despite their encouragement to wear white, at present, she still wore her regular clothing: short brown shorts, cropped black halter top, calf high leather boots. She was looking better on this day, her pale skin achieving some level of color from the days she had spent sitting by herself on the docks or roaming the island. She was still dealing with the after effects of her introduction to this place, but she had her reasons as well to stay, the least of which was the guild tattoo on the back of her neck, underneath layers and layers of green hair.

Her hair was half up, held back by a pretty sakura hair pin, which looked both beautiful and incredible out of place on the travel worn woman. She had eaten moderately, keeping partly to herself so far, but she was getting to the point in her day where she longed for something exciting, different, something dangerous or physical. Yona had been advised to take it easy and was reluctantly following the orders. Today, after eating she walked out to the entry way of the building, looking down the steps. It was obviously some sort of memorial and though she was brazen, she wasn't stupid enough to try anything here. She held a small teacup in her hands, looking out at the far horizon, past the buildings and docks, a straight beautiful blue line. From there she watched the ships come in, something she had always enjoyed.

She looked down briefly after a time, noting Ruvel sitting there on his own fiddling with paperwork. Normally, Yona might have called out a taught, 'Oh, did you catch, it's a little windy out here!'. But with Ruvel, she did no such thing. In fact the very word 'father' disturbed the solace she had desperately been seeking since she first met the young male down there on the steps. Her interest in him was high, her curiosity as well, but the woman had learned of some of his abilities first hand and was not about to draw attention to herself until she at least had her full strength back. Approaching the steps came a white haired male, and her lime green eyes appraised him unabashedly: she analyzed him as if he were either a threat, or something to purchase, after all, all people were either commodities or nothing. "Hmph," She scoffed under her breath, "Thinks he's a hot shot or something. The pipe looks fricking ridiculous." She didn't speak so quietly she would not be heard, but just soft enough that only those on the stairs were near enough to notice. A slight giggle left her pursed pink lips, her bright eyes ensnared by the sight of Ruvel's papers dancing away.

Yona finished the black spiced tea in her cup, closing her eyes with a smile. The alluring female did little to hide how greatly the taste of real and fresh leaf tea made her feel. It was nearly on its own worth it for staying at the guild here. She looked down observing as Johann helped Ruvel with his papers and frowned, having gotten a little amusement taken away. It made no sense to run down there and greet the newcomer like she was an excited child with a new toy. Let him come to her if he wanted to make himself known; still, the female stood in obvious sight watching and eavesdropping as she was wont to do.

The first thing that Darius had noticed about Divide Island was the vividness. This port city seemed to be bustling and thriving, smells of foreign spices, food, and others permeating the city. He smiled, thinking, So far, so good. I like this place already. However, as he began to walk towards the marble steps, his eyes caught on some woman with gorgeously long legs, not realising that there was someone right in front of him that he was just about to bump into. As Darius accidentally knocked himself into some stranger, the person's papers had flown everywhere due to their little accident, and Darius had accidentally dropped his pipe and duffel.

"Forgiven," Darius sighed, catching a few of the flying papers and handed them to the person in front of him, another man, much older than Darius, joined in, seeming to be a friend of the klutz.

Darius picked up the pipe, and upon noticing that the herb was still lit, casually took a puff out of it. "Acquaintance? I barely know this girl." Darius said, watching the elderly gentleman bow and introduce himself. Upon realising that he was talking to an officer of the Trading Company, Darius presented himself in a similar manner, "Darius Al-Sayyid, merce-"

He cut himself off, correcting, "Ex-mercenary. A few friends of mine said that this place would suit me."

The Desierto mage noticed Johann examining him head-to-toe. Darius didn't blame the officer for checking him out, he very clearly wasn't from Fiore: sun-kissed skin, golden eyes, and white hair...who wouldn't want to look at such a treat? He smirked, and quipped, " Whoa there, Johann. I know I look good but I'm not into guys."

His ears also caught the words of what seemed like a standoffish woman with a penchant for judging strangers, his golden eyes traced back to the woman. She was a slender, green-haired, green-eyed woman with her hair pinned back up. Well, hello gorgeous, he thought.

" That woman over there though, looks exactly my speed." He said before calling out to her, "Hey, I might look ridiculous with this pipe, but I don't need that to be smoking hot."

He was well aware of the cheesiness of his comment, but if it worked, then he'd continue hitting on her, but if it didn't work—as Darius expected it not to—she'd get annoyed and irritated, which also satisfied the foreigner.

"Is he one of yours?" Darius asked Johann, before looking down at the woman who had run into him, "And what's got you so worked up? You seem twitchier than a squirrel"

Ruvel scrambled around on the ground starting to collect the papers that had scattered around after he had released them "Thank you, I should have been watching where I was going." he admitted taking the blame for the whole situation "I was looking over the paperwork..." he said quietly, looking up seeing another set of shoes happy to hear Johann's voice "Hello Mr. Weiss, yes a little help would be wonderful." he said with a quiet tone holding out his hands out biting his lip "I don't know his name, I banged into him." he said with a sigh as he stood tilting his head as the one he banged into called him a girl "I would like to inform you I am in fact a male." he said dusting his hakama off "My name is Ruvel, I am the vice president of the West Fiore Trading Company." he said placing his hand on his chest leaning forward just a little.

"Why would they believe you are suited to working here?" he asked standing straight once more, his hand going to his mouth and yawned a little "Besides, to join here you are tested so we know if you are suited and to where." he said rubbing the back of his neck "Mr. Weiss would you mind doing part of the induction, I think Cirven would get upset if I done to much right now, I'm still recovering after summoning Korvin." he shook a little he should still be resting in his room but he still had duties "And if you see Cirven no telling him I'm not in my room." he said quietly looking down to the ground he hadn't noticed Yona "I shouldn't be in the light..." he answered "A squirrel?" he seemed a little confused.

For but a second, Johann just stood there, his eyes on the other two men before him, hearing that they did in fact not know each other, Darius' comment throwing him off completely. He let out a loud giggle, trying his best to hide his laughter as to not actually, or at least try to, offend Ruvel. He couldn't really help it and so continued to giggle to himself over the man's comments, Ruvel would enlighten him about his mistake soon enough, the fact that he just bumped into the Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company, his superior, AND called him a girl making it even more amusing and difficult for him to catch his calm again.

The other, upon hearing of Ruvel's and his position in the company, returned the gesture, giving his full name and the reason he had come to Divide Island. Johann eyes widened upon hearing that the white haired man before him wanted to join the company, ignoring the comment that followed out of politeness to the other. The man seemed to be a bit full of himself, a character trait that Johann most certainly did not appreciate in people, but he guessed it couldn't be helped. The man that had now turned his attention away from Johann and Ruvel would see for himself soon enough what it would mean trying to join the Company.

Johann, who turned just after the man to see Yona, the newest recruit to the WFTC sitting a bit away from them on the stairs, and Darius turning to address her, approaching her in a flirty manner. Johann was cringing at the downright weird comment of the other, barely able to hold himself back and not raise his hand to his face in shame. "Allow me to introduce" Johann said with a voice that would blatantly give away his feelings about Darius' last action "Miss Yona. The newest recruit to the WFTC ."

Johann nodded to Ruvels comments to Darius, following up with a remark himself "Indeed, we will have to test you. If you agree with that you are, of course, free to apply for a job. You'll have to understand that we naturally can't let everyone join the company just like that." In addition to that Ruvel now adressed Johann, asking him to do the induction. He hadn't been in training for too long, Cirven himself telling him that his work for the company had qualified him for the position with him instantly taking the offer, and he figured that this was another part of testing not just the man named Darius but also himself. "Very well, Ruvel. I'll handle ... you really should rest, friend." He had been worried for the others health ever since the events that had placed him in this state had taken place a short while back, but he accepted Ruvels request for him to keep quiet anyway, knowing he had his reasons "Not a word" he gave to the young man before turning his attention back to the other. "Now, good sir, are you ready for a bit of an exercise" Johann asked Darius with a smirk "or would you like to wait until a later date ?" He remembered his own induction into the West Fiore Trading Company. He, too, had arrived via ship on an island and he, too, had been given the opportunity to rest before his examination. "Either way" he concluded "would you be so kind and follow me to the headquarters ?"

Yona sighed, opening and closing her eyes slowly, her eyebrows raised in both confusion and annoyance. The pretty boy had no brains, so sad. And he thought a line like that would work? Not even if she was desperate and drugged, she thought wrinkling her nose. Yona held her now empty tea cup, feeling the warmth in her fingertips still. She adjusted her standing stance from relaxed, to perturbed, her back straightening, her shoulders moving back, and her chin lifting in elegant obstinance. "Dullard," Yona returned, rolling her eyes once at the white haired male.

She felt the itch to throw the pretty little cup at the new mage's head, but she refrained. Especially when the other man introduced her. What was his name again? Johann? Veice? Weiss? Wiest? No... ah! Yes, as she listened to the conversation below, it was Weiss. Yona approved of the introduction, being called 'Miss Yona'. It kind of made her feel special. She tossed her green hair over her shoulder and leaned on the marble wall beside her, one ankle tuckled in front of her in a pose that conveyed attitude and nonchalance.

"A test?! He just walks up and gets in... with a test?" She exclaimed loudly. She had to endure hell to impress Cirven. Though after speaking, she had wished she stayed silent. She was already in trouble for robbing and putting so many lives in danger. Even if she never intended to hurt, well intended to kill, anyone. The consequences were what they were and they responded in their protective way. It was her own fault she hadn't just knocked on the door or something, she supposed, but still, the active and violent memories played in her head and prevented her from sleep. She resented that this male would have it so much more easy than she did, considering he gave off the impression that he was a jerk. She looked downward and slid her arms to her sides, rubbing her left hand where Cirven's claws had torn open her collar bone and right bicep. She definitely shouldn't have said anything.

She would call back out, almost in an apologetic tone, "May I join you? I would like to watch." She addressed the other man in a way that made it clear that she only had the intention to observe, to behave to put it shortly and not interfere. She wanted to see the cocky white haired man in action. And she wanted to see Mr. Weiss in action as well.

"Oh, shit uh..." Darius scratched his head upon realising he was a man, and then muttering a few Desierto curse words under his breath as the "woman" introduced himself as Ruvel, Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company. Essentially, Darius felt like he had just botched his chances at landing his new gig, awkwardly apologising, "Sorry 'bout that."

The Desierto mercenary chuckled as Ruvel asked how a man such as Darius could make a good fit with the company, "I asked them the same thing. But, I used to work as a mercenary, so I've been in nitty gritty aspects of combat. Plus, I'm up for anything as long as it pays well and it doesn't hurt good people. I might be a mercenary, but I still have morals."

Darius paused for a second, and adding, "Although, they're pretty loose."

The gorgeous (and angry) woman seemed to respond to his casual flirting by flinging an insult. Instead of being hurt by her brash language, he snickered, before winking at her and saying, "Dullard? I'm a lot of things, gorgeous, but dullard isn't one of them...I'd be happy to show you what else I could be later tonight."

"Yona, huh..." Darius began, choosing to ignore the blatantly disappointed tone in Johann's voice, a smile playing at the young man's lips.

Upon the mention of being tested, he smirked and quipped, "Tested? Like...for STD's? I swear I'm clean," However, the joking subsided as Darius began to nod in response to Johann and Ruvel's comments about the test and their standards, "Trust me, I'm up to snuff. Just tell me what I need to do."

However, the gorgeous green-haired woman was none too pleased at the notion that all Darius had to endure was a "test". He grinned in response, glancing at her with his beautiful golden eyes and remarking, "I'm a special case, what can I say?"

Darius overheard the two officers chatting amongst themselves what would be required and whatnot, most of it regarding Cirven, who the younger swordsman knew was the leader of the West Fiore Trading Company through his researching into the organisation. Darius then asked out of pure curiosity, "Will I get to ever meet Cirven?"

Johann's courteous manner was something that Darius had noted, the older man was a true gentleman through and through, which was an interesting change of company, considering that for the past 8 years of his life, Darius had been with a band of rowdy mercenaries.

"Well, let's just say that after being on that boat for a week, as enjoyable as it was, I'm itching to break a sweat." Darius remarked, before turning to Yona as she expressed her desire to watch and asked sarcastically, "Can't get enough of me?"

As Johann asked if Darius would accompany the prior to the headquarters, the foreigner grabbed his duffel bag, took a puff of his pipe and put on his signature smirk, "Lead the way, Mr. Weiss."

Ruvel looked to the other sighing "Don't worry about the mistaking me for a female, I'm use to that even from people who have been here longer than I have." he said shrugging a little about the all to common mistake, he rolled his eyes a little "Though people usually wanting a job usually put their best foot forward and don't swear or flirt in front of said potential employer." he said his dual coloured eyes going to Yona a pleasant smile on his face "Hello Ms. Spring." he called out, he knew that wasn't her name in any way but her eyes and hair reminded him of the spring season and so had called her 'Spring' since of course if she ever requested him to stop he would do without hesitation. His eyes went back to Darius "Also, don't cuss or flirt like that, this is a respectable trading company it looks bad on us if a client would see even a potential job candidate is cussing and flirting like a drunk sailor." he had no issue if he wanted to swear or flirt just not while on a task for the company or near it as image was everything in their line of work.

"I guess the morals where loose with how you instantly started to flirt with a member of the company without even knowing their name." he sighed, he was wondering if he should dismiss him at current and save the headache but he knew Cirven would give him a chance and so he would too. Hearing what the other thought the test was for he face palmed 'Is he really so dumb?' he thought to himself but shook his head "No, your skills are tested so we can see if you are suited to join and if you are to which section." he explained for the second time in as many minutes. "We will see, you're test will be in two parts Mr. Weiss will take the first part and I will take the second." he hated people who were full of themselves so knew this one would most likely need taken down a few pegs. "You are special normally people only get one... you're getting two." he commented now wondering which summons could be used without harming himself to much

"If you pass maybe, but he is away on a personal matter so you have to put up with me unfortunately." He said to the other as he started walking up the steps "The magic hall Mr. Weiss, the physical training hall is in use by the guards at current." he said calmly "Also Mr. Al-Sayyid there's no smoking inside the building." he added at the end

Johann stood there still, calmly listening to the conversation between the 3 others, turning his head to Yona as she protested loudly. "As is the standard procedure for joining the West Fiore Trading Company. Granted, only for those that feel confident enough to join our ranks naturally without having to sneak into a ship and steal company wares." he commented on the woman's remark. The woman had a guilty look on her face, so Johann left it at that. She had received her punishment for that already, and Johann knew what the twins felt like all too well. He was sorry for being so harsh.

He still felt the desire to slap the palm of his hand to his face, however, as he had to listen to even more of Darius' attempts at humor and flirtiness, nodding to what Ruvel had to say about the young man's etiquette. That and the young man's comments from earlier probably was what prompted Ruvel to decide that Darius had to go through more than one test. "I see Ruvel, thank you for letting me know. Mr. Al-Sayyid and spectator, please follow me to the magic training hall in the West Fiore Trading Company's Headquarters building." he acknowledged Ruvel's remark and ignored Darius repeated attempts at flirting with Yona, quietly making his way up the stairs to the HQ.

A short walk and a few minutes later Johann pushed open the large mahogany front doors to reveal the luxurious reception area of the building before taking a turn, making his way to the training hall. After a few rooms and hallways they entered a large room, brightly lit by lacrima and natural sunlight, with runes covering the entirety of the walls, windows, floor and ceiling. "Welcome to the magic training hall, this is where we will conduct the first part of your examination." Johann told the young man behind him, stepping aside, taking off the white blazer of his suit, carefully folding it and putting it down. "In this part of the examination I want to test your physical prowess as well as your magical strength. Ruvel, from what I can guess, will later test your mental strength as well as your resolve. If you can pass both test we will determine what kind of position would suit you best, thus qualifying you for a job with the Company." Johann made his way from the one end of the room to the other. "Mr. Al-Sayyid, are there any preparations you want to make or are you ready for the first part of your test ?" Johann asked the white haired man before drawing his rapier, holding the blade before himself, his hands on the pommel and the tip on the ground

Yona pulled her foot away from the wall, standing less comfortable at Darius' reply. She took the empty teacup, placed it behind her head and took aim. She was going to throw it right at his stupid grinning face. And she daresay believed he would never make such comments to her again. And as the conversation continued, Ruvel turning his girlish-head, Yona made a sudden move to stretch her arms like she was yawning. There was no way she was going to throw a teacup at Darius' face with Ruvel sitting and staring at her.

She finished her half-fake yawn, and gave Ruvel a nod, "Hello, sir," Yona uttered quietly, glancing away. She had planned to do plenty. She was going to take her bamboo shoots and strike right through Ruvel's tiny legs, pinning him there, making Cirven freak out, and then escape. But even in hindsight with that as a poor decision, it was nothing compared to what the young male had done to her- intentional or unintentional, she had no idea and she rather'd not consider it anyway. Yona rubbed her neck and shoulder, feeling the healed skin, a small bump where a streaking line of claw-torn flesh had been. She was silent while they continued speaking, listening in.

Yona had rolled her eyes at the older male's mention of her attempted theft, and then she stepped to the side to allow the others to pass her by. She preferred being as close to the rear of a group as possible: less people behind her, less people to stab her in the back. Yona set her empty cup down on a random unplanned table as they maneuvered through the building. The green eyed female followed them to the magic training hall and gave a good and honest look around. Yona hadn't been inside this room yet, but now that she was, she quickly stepped inside the door and took her place against the wall. She wanted to watch from a place that would be safe. Yona was curious about what test Ruvel would conduct. Would it be harsh and cruel and violent? Would it be a test of his morals and loyalty? Would it be a test of pressure, interrogation techniques?

The woman crossed her arms and huffed under her breath, "This better be entertaining. Or maybe I'll add something interesting into the mix," Yona chuckled once. She would never really interfere with a test like this, but Darius didn't need to know that. She liked the idea of putting him on edge, even if only slightly.

"Honestly, Mr. Vice President, the way that I see things, is that if I put my best foot forward, you don't see the real me," Darius explained, a smirk playing at his lips as he spoke, "If I don't show you how I really am, how could you really trust hiring me. It's a win-win. I don't have to hide who I really am to the people who might employ me, giving them all the bits and pieces of me that come with my blade: good and bad."

In all honesty though, while Darius cared about the opinions of these two officers, the young swordsman felt like showing his "best foot forward" was to display his skills in combat. His tongue wasn't the only sharp thing in his arsenal, his abilities as a ReQuip mage showed that not only did he have prowess in many forms of combat, but that he could use a variety of weapons at his disposal from his pocket dimension.

"Cuss like a drunk sailor, huh," Dariu chuckled before glancing at Ruvel and saying, "You realise that you're in charge of a trading company...with boats..which have sailors, right?"

Darius furrowed his eyebrow as Ruvel commented about how he flirted with a woman without knowing her name, "First of all, I didn't know she was part of the company...and second of all," The ReQuip mage's eyes fell on the green-haired woman, "She tried to steal goods? And...you still hired her?"

The puzzlement that befell the mage was evident, not only did Yona seem to be greener than a leaf, she also had attempted to steal items from the company and was hired because of it. If you stole something from one of the mercs back at the old company, your hand would be cut off...I'll make sure to steal something from whoever employs me next, maybe they'll hand me CEO for it, the foreigner thought in his head.

Darius realised, however, that many of his quips and jokes were falling on deaf ears: Ruvel remained unimpressed, Johann was cringing, and Yona just seemed to be all-around just an angry human being. As Ruvel corrected him, Darius said, "Don't worry, I was just kidding...but I'll admit, the sound of testing my combat prowess does get me going."

But at the mention of Darius' "special" comment giving him an extra test to endure, he groaned, thinking, and Darius sticks the fucking landing. Good job on landing an extra test for annoying the Vice President. He sighed, scratching his head after realising his mistake and muttering, "What a drag..."

He did, however, concede, "Sure, I'll do the extra test."

The two newcomers followed along Johann as he brought them to where Darius would conduct his first test, Darius making sure to grab the duffel full of his stuff. He made the walk a mini sight-seeing tour of the town, marvelling at all the different things that Divide Island provided. Entering the Headquarters, however, and a grin emerged from Darius' closed lips, "Now this...I can get used to."

While still following Johann, Darius' eyes darted from place to place, examining the gorgeous reception area, before reaching a training hall. It was a blank room with a few windows, but the more interesting part of the place were the many runes in place, "If I'm guessing correctly, the runes are to make sure we don't tear up the entire building through our fighting?"

Darius dropped his duffel next to the door, before shooting a glance at Yona and quipping, "Add something interesting? Are you going to get naked for whoever wins this duel?"

At Johann's query of whether or not Darius needed to prepare anything, and drawing his rapier, the younger swordsman grinned, "A rapier? A pretty one too...I'm liking you more and more, old man."

"My turn," Darius then put his arm forward, his hand ball into a fist and saying, "Requip!"

A shining outline of a sword quickly materialised into a simple yet elegant saber in Darius' once empty hand, the blade was glowing with a blue aura. He coyly smiled and stated, "Now you know what type of magic I use," The young swordsman then slashed the air and got into a combat stance, "Let's begin."

Ruvel sighed a little when he was called by his formal title, he almost flinched as he disliked it but knew he'd get another earful if he did "My name isn't Mr. Vice President, it's Ruvel. I ask you at least be respectful and call me by my name and not by my role within the company." his tone showed he was irritated by the other and it was only growing as he turned around looking to him "That is all fine and well wanting for us to know the real you, however, this is neither the time nor place to until we find one either refrain from talking or pretend that you're someone that has less than loose morals." he wasn't saying it to undermine the other but even Darius must have realised given the grander of the place that they had important clients so they needed to keep up appearances for and his true self to be hidden until they where out of the public eye where it mattered "As it stands, I dislike the true you." he said honestly "It is nothing to do with your appearance and nor your personality for the most part, it is how you are talking to Ms. Spring that is bothering me the most." he said his eyes moving to the side.

"And Ms. Spring threaten to throw one of the bone china cups again and you'll be using plastic til you can respect company property." his tone showing this was far from an idle thread but his eyes never met hers, it was almost an admittion to his submissive and passive nature. "I do realise this is a trading company with sailors, but while they can possibly be heard by clients you will never hear them cussing, so I request that you follow their examples." he wasn't about to go into the fact he hated ships because that would open up a completely new can of worms. "Regardless of wither she was or was not it is clear to the blind she wishes to hit you so I suggest you stop it before I allow her to do it without penalty." he said rubbing his temple he was still recovering and should be in his bedroom but Cirven away and Johann in training he didn't have the option to rest.

"There was.. um... special circumstances apparently, I don't know much more than that." He remembered calling Korvin and pretty much collapsing but beyond that was a blur until he found himself waking in the darkness of his bedroom. "And Ms. Spring, don't call me sir please it makes me uncomfortable." he still didn't make eye contact and his body language showed it to be the truth not that he could ever lie anyway. "Mr. Weiss is the fastest within the guild I hope you can keep up" he said covering his mouth as he yawned stumbling up a few steps but catching himself 'Am I pushing it?' he wondered but for him personally there was no way in knowing so decided not to worry about it for the moment because if the answer was yes it meant his medicine had to be given to him and the mere thought of that made him cringe as he followed the others to the large training hall and sat on the floor to the side to watch. "The runes repair the room and make sure that the damage done by magic doesn't leave, it also allows for training scenarios to be done" he explained if the other wanted to know more he would give the information but for now he would leave it at that

"Very well" Johann said, standing on the one side of the training hall, with Darius on the other, Yona and Ruvel standing aside, watching. "How about we make this a little more interesting ?" Johann rhetorically asked the other, before calling out for the runes to react "Large arena , 20 by 20 meters" , lines appearing beneath and around both Johann and Darius, forming a square arena for them. "The first one to leave the marked area or give up looses ." he explained to the man with the ivory hair, his right hand now firmly grabbing the handle of his silver blade, watching as Darius summoned his own weapon from thin air. "A ReQuip mage, hm ? This is going to be a good duel ... " he thought to himself before raising his weapon.

"With that out of the way" the last chance for anyone to interpose something had passed "Let's begin. Countdown start" a set of red runes appearing before them, counting down from 3 before finally turning green. Darius test had officially started. Instantly, 3 magic circles appeared at Johanns feet, each one bigger than the one before, removing all limitations that the atmosphere would have on his speed, a grey and silver aura of wind encasing him, shaping an armor of circulating air that looked like that of a knight. Johann was ready to test the newcomer, sprinting forward, blade firmly in hand, steel meeting steel just a moment later causing sparks to fly all around. He would start at a relatively low speed of around of around 50 mph and increase the speed gradually later during the fight, excited to see if Darius could keep up, slashing his rapier at the man relentlessly before sending out a sharp wave of pressurized air from his blade, cutting through the air towards his opponent.

The light haired male was lucky that Ruvel and Weiss were so accommodating. She had more than half a mind to actually hurt the man, but the thoughts and suggestive way she had been toying with her tea cup had caught Ruvel's attention. By far, it was a place Yona was not yet comfortable to be. Admonished, Yona looked downward, saying little in turn to the feminine young man. Better to simply take his threat as cursory, especially with his high rank in the guild. "Yes, Ruvel. I understand." Being on his good side was a far better option even in Yona's mind.

Still, Ruvel's defense of the woman despite her consistent rebellious acts and even Darius' pointing out her attempted theft had been the start of her joining up with the guild, earned Ruvel some of Yona's respect. The man treated them both as equals, as far as respect and reputation went, but when it came down to it, Ruvel was behind her on the issue of Darius' loud mouthing and dirty talk. It felt nice to have Ruvel's support even if she didn't want or need it. The additional defense of calling her situation on the ship an 'outstanding circumstance' was a polite way to keep Yona's private introduction, private.

At Darius' second quip on offering her body up or getting nude as a prize for the winner of the test, or some such nonsense, Yona came up behind the pale haired mage and aimed a swift and hard punch to the back of his head. Unless someone else stopped her, or Darius managed to defend himself, he would earn himself a well deserved hit for continually testing her nerves and patience.

Either way, once weapons were drawn, Yona quickly backstepped to the side of the room, standing not far from Ruvel and watching the men. Blades drawn and readied, her lime green eyes took in the sight and she mumbled to herself, "Beat him good." Of course, she was directing her under the breath comment to Johann, hoping he gave the younger guy a solid whooping.

"Wasn't meaning to disrespect you, Ruvel, just meaning to call you by your title " Darius apologised, thinking, Looks like he won't be wanting me around, excellent.

However as the young swordsman realised that Ruvel's dislike for him stemmed from his treatment towards Yona, Darius chuckled, "Fair enough,"

As the white-haired mage listened to Ruvel's comments about how their sailors act in combat, Darius thought to himself, Oh okay, so no cussing, no flirting, and no smoking...why am I here again? Oh, right, money. Still though, better be worth all these damn restrictions. He just nodded to his explanations for how things worked around the WFTC. As the Vice President threatened to allow for Yona to throw pieces of ceramic tea cups at Darius, he was about to open his mouth to say something along the lines of, She can hit me with whatever she wants, but to avoid further conflict, the Desierto mage just winced and said, "Okay," clearly irked by all the restrictions beset on him by the WFTC.

When the group reached the training grounds, and Ruvel commented that Johann was essentially was one of the fastest in the group, Darius said, "From my experience, being the fastest isn't always something to be desired," smirking at the sexual innuendo that he made, but he continued, "But I'll watch myself, something tells me that Jo here is more than he looks, and I definitely won't hold back."

Realising that his remark on having Yona undress herself for the winner may have angered her, and hearing loud footsteps coming up behind him, Darius pivoted to the side, smiling slyly at the woman who had just tried to hit him, "Feisty."

However, Darius pulled his attention towards Johann, who had offered to make things...interesting, providing the rules for their little engagement, the younger man nodded, accepting the terms, "You're on, grandpa,"

When the match started, the ReQuip mage watched as Johann jettisoned towards him. Darius widened his eyes at the speed, barely parrying the attacks that Johann gave out, one attack getting past Darius' blockings and grazing his shoulder, leaving a red welt across the man's skin. Shit, Ruvel wasn't kidding, Johann is fast. When Johann sent a slice of pressurised air towards Darius, he countered the wave of air by using his enchanted blade and sending a wave of magic. However, Johann's air spell was too strong for Darius' countermeasure, and blew through it, causing Darius to get pushed backwards, a slash mark appearing across his chest.

"You're a damn good swordsman," Al-Sayyid commented, wincing at the pain.

Darius then noted that Johann's left side was the one he hadn't been using, as his dominant hand was clearly his right, so, the younger swordsman took advantage of that and began aiming his offensive at the wind mage's left side, hoping to get Johann to switch from offensive to the defensive.

It had been approximately two years since the boy known as Remus Aquila had left the confines of Black Sails tasked on a mission by their very own Captain Cirven, it was a intel operation that Remus' was gifted on by himself to see how things were operating in Fiore to get to the core of everything the boy spent numerous months unearthing what wasn't there in the first place. After about five or six months Remus returned with the updated and handed all of what was researched into the hands of his Captain. However though his journey was over his internal path was not, once he completed the mission he left Black Sails as a whole not telling anyone had had left not even Mitsumaki which was bizarre.

It wasn't much a journey of enlightenment more so a path of power and redemption. Remus had spent the majority of his life within Black Sails back to when Anastasia was there until the disappearance. Her act had scarred the boy as really and truly she was the first captain who he had pledged allegiance too and the one he most trusted, not to say he didn't hold Cirven with high regard no, you just cannot truly leave the past in such disarray. With all that being said Remus' yearly long journey progressed further as along the way he had discovered mentors along the way, some that taught him new fighting techniques, those who conversed with him about life and all it's wonderful mysteries and this prompted on as a long discussion as it was known Remus loved the unknown, ever since he had that void ripped away from him.

Albeit he had met and befriended many people there was one who stood out to him the most, that being Sheila the Tiger Knight. Sheila was a retired Rune Knight that had chose to leave the force due to the amount of backlash she had received for not killing a village or helpless apparent dark mages. And for that they outed her a coward and a fool, weakness wasn't in the blood of Rune Knights. Sheila herself knew she could've ravaged her own squad that night and herself being branded a rogue or a dark mage didn't sit right with the woman so she simply left those troubles behind and invested what money she had left into a place of her own in Beanstalk Village. This village in actuality was made up of a plethora of geriatrics either old knights themselves, old guild masters etc the picture here was a psuedo retirement home for the powerful so to speak.

In his travels the last person he remembered meeting was Sheila, the boy was hungry for both food and more battle experience and turning up at the gold door of this knight was just the start he was looking for. Remus stayed in her home for a what seemed like decades that the two had gotten on so well, she trained him in the arts of her Black Tiger Martial style which would eventually serve the boy greatly in the future and also gave him life lessons on what was and what is. If the question wasn't interpreted properly to those who listened then they weren't ready for the world. However not everything in this world is all cupcakes and rainbows. On the final day of their training the latter had said his goodbyes and embraced the woman whom he had felt a motherly attraction to, the road back was treacherous and dark yet this pirate feared nobody and nothing. All the trauma he had inflicted on civilians and mages alike in his life had karma manifest itself in the group of five wandering rogues, Remus took one look at them and smelt them leak trouble. His potency in his void magic had always worked wonders in situations such as these but for some reason he felt himself weaken and shut down as if someone or something was physically and mentally draining him. And you don't need me to tell you what happened next. Do you?... Well to paint a rough picture those rogues beat Remus black and blue throwing him through trees breaking each and everyone of his fingers, it was akin to torture the way he was treated in that forest for those long drawn out hours.

The light at the end of the tunnel didn't look so bleak now as he started to fade out of the physical plane, but then a sweet malicious voice called out to him in the darkness. A voice with intent. An intent he desired. "Remus...dear Remus. Where are you going? Are you going to be so easily defeated by these incompetent worms?...I know what you seek boy...Take my hand and let me show you...let me show you rage!" At the last sentence the voice bellowed greatly and the feeling Remus felt after that was pure bliss, it was as if he was energized and in that his body was regenerating at a hastened pace after the beating he took. It was then in his enraged state Remus was no more...There was only Aeshma. Needless to say the being decimated those five men that day reducing them to nothing but dismembered body parts and dried blood over the grass. Remus felt this power and left his void, he left the teaching of being cool and collected for ice and took on this new persona of his ever festering anger and hatred.

Remus Aquila the now self proclaimed Berserker of Black Sails had returned to his home, at first when he glanced around everything seemed to be the same as he had once left. It was good to be back. Yet something felt awry where was Haia, where was his brother Julius? Even the captain's presence seemed to have vacated. A furrowed brow was placed on his face as the boy was no more but on his arrival he was a man, his blue long hair he had was cut short and turned white, his skin gained more coloration to it and he grew taller and more muscular over the years. It would be a task for anyone to recgonize him this point, he silently hoped the clan was still up and kicking for the silence was unbearable.

As he was about to give up and return to fiore he heard the clashing of blades and sounds of a battle ahead. Remus walked on along his hands in fists as per usual now and not long did he see a fight or more a training session before him. "New blood..." He muttered cracking his index finger making his way to the foursome. Remus was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with the buttons all open revealing his bare highly toned chest and abdominal muscles, his hands were bandaged up to his elbows and had a small white plaster lay across the bridge of his nose. His approach was so quiet yet as soon as his face dropped his killing intent and latent rage was let loose across the field, everyone and everything could feel his presence and aura now as Aeshma made sure of it.

"Where is Cirven?" He asked voice a little deeper than normal though I suppose it did come with age. "Are you...the new bloods?" His face as plain as ever with the sole emotion of anger being seen it wasn't going to be normal if they didn't see him as threat. As he cracked his neck to the side and moved his back some the shirt would fall slightly those who were closer to the man would see a portion of the Black Sails guild mark upon his back.

Ruvel remained where he was on the ground his eyes closing as he covered his mouth to yawn "Room darken completely, sunlight on the fighters only." he said quietly the training hall doing as he had asked, as it did he let out a breath of relief almost as if pain had stopped or he felt better; this wasn't exactly a lie given that when he was sick pure darkness is what was normally what was needed until he felt better, but other than his summons only one other knew this and he wasn't around. 'Cirven, where are you? I-I can't do this.. i-it hurts so badly.' he thought to himself praying that his elder brother would hear him but he knew that he had went for some personal training and where he knew the rough area he knew he couldn't follow and with him away he had to try run the company the best he could with the handicaps he had.

His eyes remained closed but he knew from the sounds what was going "I am not saying this to be cruel Ms. Spring so I'm glad you understand." he said calmly as he ignored Darius for the moment giving that he had bigger problems in the form of Johann. "I told you he's fast Mr. Al-Sayyid." he said with a small chuckle knowing that the newcomer would be nothing more than a warm up for the elder male. It wasn't that long til he heard a voice that he hadn't heard for a while his eyes opened looking to the form of someone who had went on a journey of personal growth, he didn't know how or why but he he knew something was wrong more so when he referred to even him as 'new blood'. Standing he walked over and tilted his head his eyes noticing the black sails symbol on the others back and taking him to the side. "Romulus, are you insane!? Black sails are being hunted by the magic council or have you forgotten that?" he gave the elder male into trouble with a hushed tone so the others couldn't hear.

He sighed shaking his head his hand going to his head "Cirven is away on a personal matter so I am dealing with things in his stead." he said sighing realising that this was going to give him a headache sooner rather than later. "No I've been here for a good while as you know, Mr. Weiss has been here for a good few months, Ms Spring is a recent addition and Mr. Al-Sayyid is wanting to join us." he commented wondering what he had went through since their run in with the Savage Skull members and corrupt Rune Knights, bringing up his shirt and buttoning it a little so the symbol would remain hidden. "What's going on Romulus? Why do you seem so angry? Do you even remember who I am?" at this point he didn't want to take anything for granted but he made sure everything was kept in hushed tones.

Johann watched as his own attack blew through Darius' counter, sending the ReQuip mage back. From his own experience with swords he could tell that the other was not one to be played with, though, the way the other was holding his weapon, his stance, and the exact amount of force the other was putting into his attacks all told the tale of someone who was more than just adept in the use of their weapon. Johann kept his eyes on the others movements, the heat of battle making him grin a little, answering the others comment with "You're not too bad either", blood dripping from a small cut on his cheek where Darius' blade had cut him right through his attack.

He stopped for just a second as he felt the aura of energy coming from his side before the room turned black, turning to see that Ruvel was taking care of this highly peculiar matter, paying it no mind as he trusted the Vice President to take care of the situation. He took a few steps back, careful not to get too close to the edge of the arena before he raised his weapon, using a technique that he had only theorized about before, figuring that this was the perfect moment and Darius' the perfect test subject. Flames sprang forth from his right hand, coating his weapon in intense, scorching flames, lighting up the area without sunlight in a flickering, red light before he stormed off once more, this time not holding back, increasing his speed to about 1200 m/s as he breached the sound barrier with a mighty cracking sound, the flaming blade ripping through the air towards Darius. Whether the other would block the attack or not he would certainly feel the scorching flames, the glowing sparks and the hot cinder flying through the air.

Johann backed off, leaving his left side without cover as Darius had noticed. What the other didn't know was that he was concentrating air around his left hand, compressing it into an aura around it that would release the stored up pressure and air upon touch, planning to knock back the ReQuip mage and out of the arena without much bloodshed, hoping to end the fight quickly.

Yona Hisamori clenched her hands into fists but remained quiet. Follow the rules, she thought to herself. Ruvel was not necessarily to be trusted but still, it seemed the feminine man was if nothing else fair and good at his job here in the guild. There seemed to be a lot of secrecy in some of the halls, but nothing that Yona felt was highly unusual. She was wary around them and they were wary around her. She wanted to strike out at Darius again, but this was his test and his fight. She doubted Ruvel or Johann would take it easy if she decided to interrupt when she had said she wanted only to observe.

The room darkened and light lit up the area where only Darius and Johann would be fighting. Yona pressed her back against the wall, not far from the door, and tried to relax. All of her nerves were on edge and she shifted twice in place, fidgeting unnerved inside the building, in the dark, with these people she didn't much trust or know. In the light of the magical room, she watched as Darius was hit. Twice. Yona smiled lightly, starting to relax, the idea that he was getting his rear handed to him was far worse than what she had. At least she had proven somewhat capable, she wasn't knocked around like a toy. Still, her eyes were wide in seeing Johann's speed, surprised and enthralled.

It was at that moment a deep voice echoed through the chamber, filling Yona with dread. She felt an intense level of fear and an innate response to fight before she ever even saw the male. She whipped her green haired head to the side to look at the male, her hand reaching to grab at the wall. A green glow formed around her hand as she drew out her Blade of Thorns, readying for a fight, staring at the man who had asked about "New bloods". His white shirt caught the light, but most of his face was in shadow, besides the bandaged arms and the foreboding feeling in the air, Yona had little to go on that this was not some sort of dangerous attack.

Ruvel moved faster than Yona, gracefully grabbing the male and pulling him to the side. He spoke in hushed tones so Yona could not hear. This, Yona trusted even less. She felt torn between believing that Ruvel and Johann would protect the group if needed and wondering if this whole time perhaps it was a set up and this mysterious and dark source of anger was sent as her death sentence. When Johann covered his blade in flames, Yona actually jumped in place, slashing out her scimitar, at nothing but the air beside her. The fire and the dark, the enclosed room, and the intensity of the anger rippling off the newcomer in waves was too much for the traumatized woman. She started shaking, reliving her own experience from the week before, her horrific memory taking control while Yona herself tried to ground herself in reality, blade in hand.

Yona would never attack or kill unprovoked, certainly not any member of the guild. But this situation was different. The loud sound and fast motion of the fight was exciting, but Yona's nerves were fraying and she found her feet moving slowly towards the door and then past it, heading for where Ruvel and the angry male stood. Her hand gripped the green scimitar, a weapon both Ruvel and Johann had seen her use a week ago when they first met. But there was a test going on and something seemingly bigger at hand, and Yona's priorities were clear. Protect herself, at the cost of the threatening man's life if necessary. Unless Ruvel stopped her or could clarify the situation, in which case, Yona considered that simply leaving early would be her best option.

So much for just watching the test and mocking Darius afterwards.

Despite the events occurring outside of the arena, Darius paid no mind to such dribble. Right now, he was only focused on one thing: Johann von Weiss. Not only did this geezer seem to be a more than capable swordsman, but he was a high-speed, sonic maniac. Darius would've been impressed if he wasn't realising how outclassed he was against a man with such power. However, Darius was far from helpless, and could still hold his own against this veteran warrior.

Darius' lips spread itself into a grin as he saw a small welt of blood appear on Johann's cheeks, "So, the Sonic Swordsman can bleed? That's a start."

Some of the newer weapons that he had stored in his arsenal definitely had the capabilities to take his opponent down...and he knew exactly the type of weapon he would use. The ReQuip mage's enchanted blade dissipated as he quickly switched it out for an ominous, crimson red spear.

"Requip!" The white-haired mage called forth, summoning Malice from the pocket dimension, quickly spinning the spear around his hands before getting into an battle stance.

The younger warrior, eager to please, decided to activate one of his trump cards: his enhanced combat intuition. Darius' eyes seemed to glow an even brighter gold as Johann seemed to reach near inhuman levels of speed.

Bright, golden eyes flit towards every micro-movement that Johann made, from using his magic to seemingly engulf his sword in flames. The veteran mage jet forward, but Darius had already anticipated the movement. The Desierto mage, spun around gracefully, although the speed of Johann's attack grazed the younger fighter. Darius winced at the intense burning feeling that the Sonic Swordsman's blade flaunted, but paid that no matter, and launched a flurry of precise jabs at Johann's legs, sword-arm, and head, trying to get at least one of his key limbs marked by the intimidating spear.

Darius' eyes immediately caught what Johann was trying to do with his left hand, "Don't insult me with trying to pull whatever you're going to with that left hand of yours, JoJo. I'm rather enjoying this high-speed duel of ours...in fact..."

Another weapon materialised in Darius' freehand, summoning Boltstrike from the pocket dimension and dropping Malice, but not stashing it away into the pocket dimension. He kicked the spear away,  setting up a trap for the other swordsman, as the Blademaster had kept away another one of his unique abilities a secret: his ability to telekinetically control his weapons in a 20 meter radius.

"Come at me with your full, goddamn speed, JoJo, don't hold back."