I needed to get stronger. That brief encounter was all the proof I needed that nowhere in this city was truly safe. It also put into perspective why almost everyone I saw was carrying some kind of weapon.

  I breathed out a long sigh as I looked up at the neo-militaristic building towering above me like an immovable mountain, built so large that it took up the entirety of four city blocks. The building itself was a series of six simple rectangles encircling the octagonal central core, each with massive weapons mounted at regular intervals. Obviously designed purely for function over form.

  It hadn’t taken long to find online while searching through the G.I.N. and it was technically within the same district, but it was closer to the city center than I felt safe walking to after the recent scale-hound attack from yesterday. It was easily a few miles away which once again put the sheer scope of this city into perspective. I could have risked it, but preferred to get my hands on a more reliable weapon first.

  But luckily the city had free public transit systems I could use. The fact that anything within this Undercity was free was quite the surprise, but a welcome surprise nonetheless.

  The entrance was equally as simple as the rest. Two towering doors stood in the center that looked large enough to fit a small building through, and two smaller doors on either side that I could see people using to enter and exit the interior.

  I couldn’t help but wonder briefly at what would warrant such large doors but put the thought aside. I was simply wasting time because of my nerves. I needed to do this. If not for Valerie, then for myself. This was a city where the weak were preyed upon by the strong. This decision would hopefully change that.

  I took another breath to calm myself as I walked closer to the unfriendly looking structure, and passed through the smaller of the two doors.

  I nearly stumbled as soon as the scale of the interior hit me as I stepped into a massive open room spanning many stories above me. Sparks of light briefly illuminated a ceiling so high that I couldn’t see the top through the maze of walkways and corridors spanning the gap. I felt like I would get lost in the sheer scale if I stared too long.

  With some difficulty, I tore my eyes away from the dizzying heights and focused on two, hulking bipedal mechs, bristling with all kinds of weaponry stood at the ready on the far wall, clearing up any confusion of what the huge doors out front were for. People of many different races hurried around the gargantuan machines as maintenance teams worked to repair three huge gashes torn deep into the thick armor plating.

  I didn’t even want to imagine what monstrosity somehow managed to damage them. I shuddered and looked away. I would stick to small fry, thank you very much.

  The rest of the space reminded me of a well lit industrial hangar, complete with flying sparks and shouting as people worked on projects along another wall with high tech looking terminals. I wondered if they were employees of the guild or mercenaries working on their own thing. I would have to ask later.

  Different species of all shapes and sizes went about their business, completely ignoring me. I didn’t blame them. I probably looked like some bright eyed, delusional fool who had no idea what she was getting into. And they would probably be right.

  It was obvious that my original thought that this place cared more for function over form was correct. There were no pointless decorations, nauseating perfume, or dressed up executives. It was a welcome sight.

  I quickly spotted a bored-looking human woman who had half of her face replaced with cybernetics. She was in military fatigues and lounging behind a counter in an old chair that looked like it had been torn out of a fighter aircraft as she flicked through her personal shard to pass the time.

  A flickering, holographic sign hanging above read ‘Mercenary Orientation and Applications’, confirming it as my current destination.

  I steeled my nerves and started weaving through the hustle and bustle of the facility.

  She noticed me as I approached her counter, and raised an annoyed eyebrow.

  “What the hell is a Drakanian kid doing here?” I barely heard her mutter under her breath as she regarded me with judging eyes before taking a breath and addressing me with her best customer service smile. “Are you lost, miss? Or is the Ordon Corporation here on business?”

  “Uh, n-no. I’m not with Ordon.” I stuttered out as I tried, and failed, to clamp down on my uncooperative nerves. “I-I’m here to apply for a mercenary license. Is this where I can do that?”

  The human woman, Becky, if her name tag was accurate, looked a bit taken aback by my request. Her face twisting into confusion for a moment before looking at me with a visible hint of suspicion.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.” I grimaced with a shrug. What more could I say? That the Ordon Corporation had sent me and my sister down here to die? I didn't want the knowledge that we survived to reach the Corporation. Better for them to think we had both died in those tunnels.

  “Hmm.” She didn’t sound convinced, but started tapping a screen behind her. I hoped it had something to do with the application process, and not calling security.

  Luckily, my fears were unfounded as she slid a hologram out in front of me. It didn’t take me long to skim through it. It was some kind of futuristic version of a waiver that I was required to sign before I could continue. Something about the mercenary guild not being responsible for any physical or psychological injury I might sustain on the job.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Very encouraging.

  But I signed it anyway and gently pushed the hologram back towards her. It was taking a bit, but I was gradually getting used to all this sci-fi tech.

  The contents of the waiver may be a bit worrying, but with my healing nanites, I hopefully wouldn’t ever need to worry about it.

  Becky nodded silently, oblivious to my internal conflicts, as she took the hologram and tapped a few more things on her screen.

  “Alright. We should be done with the basics.” She stood and cracked her neck. “Next is the practical test. Please follow me.” She stepped out from behind her counter and through a plain steel door embedded in the wall.

  I quickly fell into a fast pace behind her as she led me through a long hallway. I’ll admit that, even though it wasn’t as opulent as the Aether’s Flame, it certainly gave me a brief feeling of Déjà vu.

  It wasn’t long before I heard the sound of weapons going off up ahead, making it plainly obvious where she was leading me. My heart rate quickened as we stepped over the threshold into the loud room.

  It was an indoor shooting range.

  Out of the hundred or so stalls, only a few were taken. However, most of the occupants were holding the weapons incorrectly as they shot wildly downrange, hardly landing any of their shots. One minotaur woman was even holding her rifle sideways, for hell’s sake! Shouldn’t these people be taught the bare minimum before being allowed to shoot here?

  But… I realized that it might actually work in my favor.

  My nerves started to dissipate as I watched the majority ignore most, if not all, of the rules for gun safety.

  I felt a confident grin tugging at the corners of my lips. If this was what I was up against, I was basically guaranteed to pass.

  “This is the Range. All mercenaries of our guild can come and practice here.” Becky stated, pulling me out of my thoughts as she lazily gestured to the loud room filled with the scent of ozone from the laser blasts. “Here we will judge your practical skills with a laser rifle and pistol. You will be given a rank based on how well you perform. Pay no mind to the others, all weapons here are using low powered laser bolts as per our ranges safety policy. I will also note that this is where most of our applicants fail their practical test.” She added with barely hidden scorn toward the others in the range.

  I nodded in understanding and she led me into an open stall near the end of the range. I was glad it had thick, though transparent, walls that separated us from the unsafe individuals sharing the range with us. Even if they were training lasers, I didn’t feel like getting hit by a stray shot.

  She pressed a few icons on another screen and the table clicked open, revealing two weapons. A simple, black rifle with a basic optic mounted on its frame, and a pistol that shared the same design.

  I picked up the rifle and did a quick inspection to better understand how it worked. Like Becky had mentioned, it was a laser rifle, that meant that it didn’t have a charging handle or any openings to eject spent casings like the AR-15 style rifle I was familiar with. But it was similar enough in its design that I knew I wouldn’t have any trouble acclimating to this new platform.

  Instead of a system that held and fed ballistic ammunition, this weapons magazine had a glowing crystal embedded into its frame. I couldn’t help but be amazed by the unique power-source. It was awe inspiring to see what this world was accomplishing by combining science with magic.

  I could feel a bit of excitement start to replace my nerves as I grew more confident in my success.

  I could do this.

  I repositioned my posture into a comfortable shooting stance a few times before nodding and drawing the sidearm in a quick practiced movement as my muscle memory started to take over.

  It was a good skill to have, switching to your pistol was faster than reloading after all.

  “Hmm.” Becky gave an approving grunt as she watched me skillfully handle the weapons. “If you are ready, lets begin.”

  She started tapping a few more things on her screen and soon a hologram of a monster appeared at the far end of the range. I had to hold back my surprise, It looked exactly like the one I killed with my dagger the other day.

  “The timer will start after your first shot.” She continued as she studied my reaction. “You will need to eliminate all targets before the one minute timer runs out. At that point, I will inform you when to switch to your sidearm and repeat the test. If you don’t manage to hit all the targets before the timer ends, you will fail the test. You may fire when ready.”

  I nodded and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to steady myself before opening them. Since it wouldn’t start until I fired my first shot, I took my time lining it up, and pulling the trigger.

  A bright flash of light sped from the rifle, instantly shattering the hologram monster. I ignored the timer on the wall as more hologram monsters suddenly spawned into existence at an alarming rate, each one preparing to charge in my direction.

  I started firing, focusing on accuracy over speed. One after another my opponents shattered into fragments of light.

  I felt my nerves return as the timer started ticking down into single digits. I was told to eliminate them all before the timer ran out, but the just kept spawning! Was there something I was missing? Some hidden mechanic that I should have seen?

  3…

  2…

  1…

  The timer hit zero and I felt my shoulders sag in disappointment as the digital creatures faded out. Was I wrong in my initial assessment of my skills?

  “Now switch to your pistol!” Becky called out, knocking me out of my haze. I quickly followed her command and repeated the same test with the pistol, but the results were the same.

  I wasn’t able to hit them all in time. I now completely understood why most people failed here. If killing them all before the time ran out was the qualifier, this test wasn’t just difficult, it was downright impossible! How was anyone expected to pass this?!

  I turned around, angry at myself for being unable to help once again… only to find Becky suppressing a chuckle behind her hand before bursting out laughing.

  “Don’t worry, you passed!” She reassured me as she wiped away imaginary tears.

  “Huh? But you said-”

  “It counts how many you kill within that one minute to give you a score! I probably shouldn’t be teasing new recruits, but it’s always a blast to see how promising newbies react to thinking they failed!”

  I shot an unamused glare in her direction. That was a cruel prank even if the knot of disappointment was rising from my gut. I was tempted to give a piece of my mind, but thought better of it and instead took a calming breath. I was glad that I passed, but that prank was just cruel. I had a lot riding on getting this license after all!

  “Since you did so well in your test, you will qualify for a rank 7 license, this will allow you to take on rank 7 gates and below, as well as join a mercenary company if you receive an invite.” She continued, ignoring the look I was giving her. She reached out and took my hand in a firm grip.

  “Welcome to the guild. We’ll get your card printed right away. It’s quite refreshing to see a newbie that’s actually competent for once.” She shot judging look around the room and I followed her gaze, wincing as I saw the other people in the range giving me nasty looks.

  A lanky lizard-man trembled with rage as he glared daggers at me. His gaze wasn’t jealousy… it was pure resentment. Like I was some kind of demon that deserved to die a horrible death.

  I hoped nothing would come of it.