Juia_Darkcrest

  The smell of food, cigarettes, and cheap beer assaulted John as he stepped through the door. The same grey steel that dominated most of the station lined the walls, with only a few oddly shaped decorations hanging here and there broke up the monotony of the drab colour. In front of him was a counter with a few receptionists sitting behind it, and three lines of people waiting to be served.

  The rest of the room however was packed full of people, sitting at numerous tables or standing at a long bar along the far wall. The room itself was 'L' shaped, with the small side being where he entered, and the rger side being where the bar and tables were.

  This pce looks more like a restaurant or a bar than a guild office.

  That was his first impressions upon entering the Mercenary guild anyway.

  Not knowing what he should do, he stood in one of the lines and people watched while he waited. The first thing that came to his mind was he was severely over dressed for this establishment.

  Pressurized flight suits like the one Katrina was wearing when they first met were quite common, along with some weird paramilitary style gear straight out of 'Mad Max'.

  The colours of the outfits varied like a box of crayons, with one hulking bald man wearing a pink and golden combat vest and pants, while the girl beside him had bright pink hair with gold highlights. She was wearing a tight fitting bck flight suit that did nothing to hide her massive breasts, bck lipstick and way too much bck eyeshadow. They were both ughing loudly, deep in their cups, which was mixing well in the camity of noise in the room. He could barely hear himself think.

  Where in the hell am I?

  The rest of the room was no better, like it was one big party. He did notice there were only a handful of men compared to the women, maybe 5 to 1 or even more.

  Why would there be more women in a pseudo military organization? That doesn't make a lot of sense.

  As the line slowly moved forward, some people would leave the guild, others would go join whatever the festivities were in the main area. John was seriously considering returning to his ship and coming back tomorrow when an arm wrapped around his shoulders.

  "Saaaaayyyy... yoouu don't look like like yer a merc! Are ya some rich merchant? Ya hiring guards?" slurred a feminine voice beside his ear, obviously drunk.

  He looked over to the owner of the arm and blinked. There was a beautiful woman with a ptinum blonde head of hair, pointy ears, fair skin with a light dusting of freckles on her cheeks, and a set of sharp yet beautiful green eyes, which were currently staring up at him from his chest level. She was leaning on him heavily, a drink in her free hand waving around. He couldn't tell how tall she was since she was leaning on him, but she was probably between five foot seven and five foot ten.

  "Me and me friends *Hic* will work fer ya if its a good job. We just got back and are celebrating! C'mere and join us!" She continued, then gestured to her friend. John didn't have time to look, as she had shifted her weight again, and his back decided it needed to y down right then.

  John colpsed to the deck, now the second time he fell over since DEN reincarnated him, due to some drunk idiot. She followed him down, their limbs tangled together, her beer poured out over his chest and face. The pain wasn't as excruciating as st time, but still caused him to yell out angrily.

  "Jesus, Fuck. Get off me you sloppy cunt!" he bellowed, then pushed her off him. He grabbed her chest and pushed, his hand engulfing her small perky breasts, no rger than a B-Cup at best. He had no time to dwell on this woman's feelings on the matter, as he leaned forward and reached behind his back to cast a heal spell.

  "Whoa? You can cast magic? Are you an Elf too mister?" The sloppy woman said, the indignity of being groped by a stranger forgotten. She was wearing a white flight suit with red highlights, though the chest was cut low to show off what little cleavage she had. By her side was a small pistol, and a sheathed combat knife.

  "Fuck no, I am a Human. Now please let me be, I have an old injury the Auto-Docs can't fix and you just aggravated it." He growled, then cast his heal spell again.

  John managed to get the pain under control, then stood up. He was now soaked in beer and didn't have a change of clothes with him. Great way to start a business meeting. He ignored the drunken girl, who was just standing up, and moved back in line.

  I really need to get a more permanent solution for my body soon. I can't keep falling over every time someone bumps me.

  He was trying to recall what Alec said in DEN, that the Eroge 'got ya' would have permanent fixes for him or something like that. He was considering returning soon. Even if he only got a few points, it was steady progress. He still had plenty of doors he needed to try. Maybe there was a door where he didn't have people leaning on him all the time.

  He also wanted to unlock his magic to get back to Highschool of the Dead, let out some of this building aggression he was feeling on some zombies. No one cares if you kill zombies.

  The woman didn't come annoy him again thankfully, and John moved up to the counter. A man greeted him, dark skin, short cropped hair, wearing a loose fitting white shirt and brown scks.

  "Welcome to the Mercenary Guild, my name is Jahred. I saw that little incident earlier and we apologize for our members behavior. How can I help you today?" he asked, tone all business.

  "Good evening, my name is John Wayne, and I would like to sign up as a mercenary and get a contract reviewed and ratified." he said, putting the business of returning to DEN out of his mind. He just wanted to leave now.

  "You already have a contract?" The man asked, sounding confused.

  "Yeah. I am...new to the area and had some special circumstances, so the INP offered me a contract." John said, bringing up his ID and the contract with his Link. He wasn't in the mood to expin his circumstances again...hell he was ready to return to The Great Cleric for a vacation instead. He really hoped one of the other worlds was quieter.

  Jahred took the contract from his Link somehow and went over it, nodding as he read and whistling occasionally.

  "John...no Captain, I see nothing wrong with this contract, and the pay is great though do you have a capital css vessel or something? Even if you do nothing, your earning every month what I earn in a decade. Plus free docking, full salvage rights, full bounty rewards, 25% of bounties any of your assigned fighters take, and cost plus ten percent for all ammunition repcement used while under their employ. Something like this is normally reserved for Ptinum Ranked mercenary companies, not for an individual Captain of a ship." he said, a shocked look on his face.

  John was a bit shocked as well. He thought he had been 'Honey Trapped' by that ebony goddess with her silky voice that made him melt for some reason. Instead, it appeared to be a good deal for him. He didn't even know about docking fees, or what was considered a good wage here. Long as he flew his ship for the INP, it sounded like he would be in a good position for whatever this world was about.

  "Well, that is good then. Now, can I join the guild?"

  "Of course. Assuming you are just a pilot, we have two options for you. The first, you start off as at Copper rank. This is the beginner level of a mercenary. You can accept Copper ranked jobs, and get all the bonuses that joining a guild nets you. As your ID says you're a refugee, that means we will act as your representative if you get in trouble with the w, though that shouldn't matter for you too much since you will be working with INP directly for your job." He said, transferring a document of some sort to John's Link.

  "The other option is you can take a test in our simutors and we can adjust your rank according to how well you do. This would normally open other, more lucrative jobs for you, though your current contract prevents you from taking anything else for a year."

  "Yeah, I'll just go for option one. I have no need for a test right now." John said, his beer soaked clothing still wet.

  I need to learn how to use my weapons first. I'll check to see if there is a training program on the ship ter. Not to mention I need to find the washer and dryer on my ship...probably should do that first.

  "That is no problem. If you change your mind, stop back in here and you can take the test. That document will tell you everything you need to know about being part of the guild. Among those things, the guild also offers simutor training for both pilots and dismounted operations if you want to brush up your skills before challenging the test. The rates are quite reasonable at your rank level Captain."

  "Thank you. I'll consider it." John nodded.

  "If you want to go more in-depth into anything, come here around noon, the guild is usually pretty quiet until 1400." he added.

  I think he knows I just want to get out of here now.

  Jahred took about five more minutes to process John's application, then sent him a digital ID with the name Captain John Wayne with his picture on it. The 'card' was Copper in colour, signifying his rank. With a nod of thanks, John turned around and left the guild, the drunk Elf woman nowhere to be seen.

  He let out a huge sigh when he left, and was making his way over to the conveyer belts when he smelled something delicious. Nearby the guild was a street meat stand. Street meat, being a portable hot dog or sausage cart, often found outside of establishments where people are drinking.

  A old man stood behind the cart, squashed looking face and a set of thick bck gsses. It almost reminded John of the old man from a kids movie he watched with his grandchildren often, the one where he filled his house full of balloons so the developers didn't demolish it.

  He resonated a lot with that old guy.

  He walked over to the stand. "Hi, what are you serving?"

  "Feasga math mo bhach, gabh e no fáge." The man replied, but John had no clue what he was saying.

  Didn't I have a nguage transtor?

  "Sorry, I don't understand."

  "Chan tusa an sgian as gèire anns an drathair a tha thu?" More garbled words.

  "Can I just get the food please." John was beginning to regret coming over.

  "Gabh aon dhiubh no fáge á tighinn direach suas! 10 GSC."

  John transferred him some money. The man grunted and handed him a couple burgers. John looked over the condiments, and put a little ketchup on one and the other mustard. After the pizza and steaks, he wasn't sure what they would taste like, but he was going to start trying things a little at a time to see what tasted like what before he doused his food with strange sauces.

  He took a bite of one, and it tasted amazing. One of the best pieces of food he tried since he ate Gulgar's cooking.

  Wasn't that only days ago? It feels like its been months for some reason. Dying has that effect on the body it seems.

  "This is really good!"

  "Toilichte gun do chòrde riut a bhaich, is e uan talmhainn fuadain a th' ann leìs á mheasgachadh spìosraidh agam fhèin."

  He wolfed down one, then asked the man for another couple to go. He grunted and spat out another long line of the unknown nguage.

  "Cho fad 's a chumas ta thairis air a' bhach a tha á pàigheadh, faigh na tha thu ag iarraidh. Feumaidh a bhith snog an airgead sin a bhith á losgadh tuill nad phócaid."

  Then he smiled, packing another two burgers in a bag and handing it over. John threw him a hundred credits and started walking, forgetting that there was a conveyer belt nearby he could jump on.

  He walked for a few minutes before his tired back reminded him that it wanted to y down. He closed his eyes and stretched out his arms in a yawn, recalling that he didn't need to walk back to his ship he could just ride when the bag in his hand suddenly disappeared.

  He looked around and running away from him was a short, white haired young woman, his bag of burgers in her hand.

  "HEY! Bring those-" He shouted, but gave up, the young woman already lost to the crowd.

  He didn't get a good look at her face, but he did notice two things. She had a pair of cat ears on her head, and a long white tail flowing out of her skirt.

  "Are beast folk treated poorly enough here too that they need to resort to stealing food?" he said aloud to himself. It reminded him of the people in the slums.

  He looked around, and didn't think that was the case. There were plenty of beast folk walking around, many obviously well off.

  Whatever it was, she was hungry, and he wouldn't deny someone a bit of food. He knew where he could go to get more, and his ship seemed to make food from the cartridges. He wouldn't go without.

  Hopping back on the conveyer belt, he headed back to his ship, thoughts of a nice hot bath making him forget the poor little Neko who just robbed him of a couple burgers.

  Two women sat in a far corner of the guild, piles of empty steins covering the table. The blonde elf was bemoaning the earlier incident to her friend and partner. She was even deeper into her cups than she was earlier when she tripped over the handsome, silver haired man.

  "I'm ruined!"

  "Why would you be ruined? He just pushed you away." The other woman said, a very short red haired dwarf, downing another pint of the water they called beer here.

  "He grabbed my breasts and didn't say anything. Not a sorry, not a nice, nothing. Like they were not even there!"

  "You did just spill a drink on him, he probably had other things on his mind than groping you."

  "That isn't even the worst part though. Hager saw the whole thing, and now he is making fun of me for not being able to find a man with these tiny boobs. Everyone heard him and its embarrassing."

  "Hager is an idiot who thinks pink and gold go together with his complexion. Girl, yours are bigger than mine, what'cha worried about?"

  "I've been an adult for twenty-five years now, and I haven't found a man."

  "You know that is due to the pgue, not due to your looks, you're beautiful."

  "I should have stayed home. My mother had me set up with someone, but nooo, I just needed to py mercenary."

  "Ash stop ya belly aching, me brudder and sista have been gone for twenty years now doing the same thing, it's a drop in the hat of time for us. You will be fine. You're young and beautiful. You are a successful +Silver ranked mercenary at the young age of 76. You will find another handsome man someday and join his harem and have a family. No forced invitro for us okay!"

  *Sniff* "You mean it Tanya?"

  "100%. Ft is justice! Remember that!"

  And with that, the two crack mercenary pilots clinked their gsses together, ready to take on the gaxy.