The group of five staggered through the city streets, bending between alleys and walkways all leading to one building. It was reminiscent of the run down hall they had just come from, but this one was almost double the size and well kept. Crowds of other guild members poured in and out of the hall.
Gili nudged Sachi "This is the main hall. All of our dispatching people work out of here, and to take on any extra missions you gotta run it by them."
Stepping into the hall, Sachi was hit with a strong waft of alcohol. The entrance was filled with laughter and chatter from guild members sat around tables scattered in the hall. Only a few of the drunken men and women paid any attention to their entrance. A man with a tankard in his hand stumbled over to them.
"Heyyyy, it's the BB squad! Don't tell me you're looking to take any actual quests, are you? Cause that'd be hilarious."
Naturally, they all ignored him and moved to the front desk.
"The hell? I'm talking to you, y'know!" He took another sip of his cup, emptying it before swinging it downward towards Pat.
That small moment of hostility provoked Sachi's future sight, and by pure instinct he grab the hilt of his katana, quickly drawing it and slicing the tankard perfectly in half.
With his mark missed, the drunken man stumbled forward towards Sachi's blade. His long, greasy hair found itself on the sword, removing itself from the top of his head before he fell towards the ground.
Sachi made a disgusted face before he wiped his blade off on his pantleg and sheathed it. The rest of the hall fell silent all before an uproar of laughter burst the tension.
Gili tugged on Sachi's jacket, whispering through the outburst. "I know he was drunk, but he's a member of a much, much, higher ranked squad. We should hurry and get out of here before anyone can tell him we were here."
At the front desk, the receptionist was still trying to process what happened. David spoke with a nervous, yet professional tone.
"Um, Hi. We're squad 88, with a new member. We wanted to take on the Demon on the Isle of Dis?"
"Y-yes... Has he been registered yet?" She was clearly still thrown off.
"No, we just found him on the outskirts of our last patrol."
She reached below the table and grab a tan folder, sliding it across the counter. "Have him fill this out, I can get you the quest in the meantime..."
While she shuffled through a stack of paper, she pulled out the quest they wanted. As if just realizing what they had asked for, her eyes go wide. "A-are you sure this is the right quest? We haven't heard from squad 51, and they're ranks higher... Well, if you'll be with them, David, I shouldn't worry too much. You'll be moved to a new squad in no time."
She handed over the notes and introductory description of the quest. Gili, Pat, David, Mercedes and Serendelle looked over the paper.
"The Demon that has been spotted on Dis had been reported to resemble a Hydra. Citizen's from the island's small town report hearing inhuman screaming and crying during curfew hours, and many have reported strange dreams and even waking up outside during curfew. Squad 51 was sent out roughly a week ago with no communication since their departure."
Meanwhile, Ali attempted to help Sachi with the paperwork.
"I'd advise a fake name, It'd be bad if he saw this come by his desk. Oh, and just right "abandoned" for Devil, it's not uncommon..."
Banner pitched his ideas from Ali's shoulder. "What about "Tankard Slayer", or "Hair Remover"?
"Those aren't names, those are titles."
"And I'm not going to pitch my name as an event that happened 20 seconds ago."
After an excruciating half hour, the new member of squad 88 was born: "Kata Nas".
David looked at the sheet, almost in awe of what they had filled out for every question. "Was this really the best name you could come up with?"
"An irregularity in the guild hall, I thought it was fitting."
David scratched his fluffy hair. "I guess so."
With that, they submitted the form and the receptionist handed Sachi his own red armband. He faked a smile, said "Thanks" and pocketed the arm band, will full intention of throwing it into the water as they made their way to Dis.
Thankfully, the drunken man was pulled away by his friends or squad members before he woke up, and they were able to leave the hall with little eyes on them.
Outside, Sachi finally asked about the guild. "Is that kind of thing normal?"
Gili pulled a worn out map from his bag. "What? Being mocked and made fun of? Pretty much, they know we can't do anything."
"But even when I did do something, they just... laughed?"
Gili shrugged. "Just how it goes. There's a hierarchy in place, you can only climb that ladder by showing them you're not at the bottom. Fight's between squads aren't uncommon, but mostly held officially as a way to climb ranks."
"It's how I became a captain."
Serendelle poked his beak out of David's hoodie. "How we became a captain, thank you. Cats out of the bag now, so make sure to include me."
David rolled his eyes. "Either way, it's just how the guild works. It rewards the strong. Ah, here's the boat."
Approaching the eastern harbor, a boat was being prepared with the tag "88" attached to the rope tethering the boat.
Pat sighed. "It's gonna be even more cramped now... Can't they give us at least give us a bigger boat?"
Ali stepped into the swaying boat. "And waste more resources on us? They wouldn't even think about it."
They all crammed into boat, leaving barely any space unoccupied.
"I'm surprised this thing can even stay floating." Mercedes chirped.
"It's rumored to be some special wood the Eternal Flame brought here, that's how it's able to take a beating and keep going too." Ali replied.
Gili untied the rope and the boat began being pulled into the vast ocean of hell.
"How far is Dis?" Sachi asked.
"Maybe about... six hours? Here, look at the map."
The map displayed the entire known area of the realm. Several islands populated the waters with the largest island in the center being Limbo.
David laid back with as much room as he could take up. "Alright, just keep rowing and wake me up when we get there!"
Pat tried sitting in a way to avoid David's legs. "Aren't we a little calm for going to fight a Demon that took out another squad?"
David pulled his hood up over his eyes. "As far as I'm aware, Demon's are just over exaggerated monsters. They're Devil candidates, and the guild keeps all the strong ones locked up when they're eventually picked to choose a champion, but before they become a Devil, they're all dumb as rocks."
Sachi looked to the raven that was just tossed from the hood. "Any truth to that?"
"...I don't have any memory before being picked as a Devil."
"Same here."
"And here."
David spoke again. "So it shouldn't be scarier than a wild beast. Squad 51 must've just gotten careless, or wrapped up in something else. Maybe they've got some hot babes in the town."
Pat kept rowing. "...Right."
Sachi had a bad feeling. He couldn't feel aura presence the same way other Champions could, but he could feel strength in their hostility from his foresight. He could feel it in the back of his mind.
An presence of something angry from their destination.