"Never thought that anything could be worse than my time with the chef", thought Ajax as he has hanging upside down in a room held up by his feet.
The day had given his quite a few surprises. It was his first day as a new trainee. He found out that his natural attribute changed to blood making him a deviant cultivator as few rarely had that attribute and the corresponding techniques even rarer and forbidden.
Then, he became an apprentice chef, which was a good thing. It would surely provide him more money and resources. It would also allow him to get into artisan association.
After that, he was chosen to show a demo fight. Though he defeated his opponent in the fight, he was reprimanded as he let his opponent go behind him and that was not acceptable for a guard. Thus, he was asked to continue for the next fight.
So, he made sure to follow it. With his experience in martial arts and his strength in body refining almost at its peak, all he needed to was apply grappling techniques followed by holds and his opponent was forced to give up.
After that he had a small incident which put him in a very tired state. Still, he didn't feel bad about it as it only made him stronger. Though, it tired him the experience was a good memory. It was only now that he felt like his was in shit.
"This morning, I was cooking beasts for food and now I am hung upside down as food for beasts! How ironic?" thought Ajax as he being yelled at by the old traitor.
"Come on, your boss clearly isn't coming. He probably is caught himself or in enough trouble that couldn't even take me or you along with him. Else, he wouldn't be absent like this," bluffed Ajax. He had no idea why he was hung like this by a web, but making some guesswork wouldn't hurt in his situation.
"The kid makes sense. It is best we move now. Else, there is a good chance we get captured," said the younger one. He also knew that the old man was afraid of the same.
"Fine," said the old man relenting. He was about to move when there was a sudden clacking sound.
Hearing it he relaxed. "With the spider here, we can get out," he said aloud as he turned around kneeled on one knee to greet the two new arrivals.
The spider came along with a large golden yellow mouse. It was 3 feet long and a foot wide with a face the size of a football and two pebble like red crystal looking eyes.
Ajax immediately knew that it was a variant mouse species and
"Greeting, young lord," said the old man as the mouse began to sniff the air.
"Hmm, delicious. This one is good. I can break through with this," said the mouse in a squeaky voice.
"A talking rat," commented Ajax out loud looking at the mouse causing it squeak loudly in anger.
"You are in presence of a royalty boy," yelled the old man. The spider quickly moved across the wall and cut its webs causing Ajax to fall down on a chair which broke on impact. He looked around but couldn't find anything fight against them. But nothing was found, instead he noticed that he had cut on his left arm which was bleeding.
With his hands and legs webbed, he lied down on his back and began to push himself with his legs, away from the golden rat like beast.
He repeatedly kept calling for the legacy spirit, C13 in his mind but there was no response. "Shit, how come I die so soon after a legendary reincarnation. I have many things to do, I even got a legacy but the damn thing is of now use now."
As, he began to despair, his agent training kicked. "Never give up. Make your own advantages," he reminded himself. "Wait the blood technique, they can be of use, just need a chance to attack."
He had already bled a bit from the fall and he tried to use that blood to perform the blood blade technique. He managed to make a small sharp nail and cut the web binding his hands. He had observed that the beast dislike being called a rat and decided to use the same. He stopped moving back and decided to taunt the man and the rat.
"Of course, you wouldn't mind ratting out humans for these beasts. You work for a fucking rat!" spat out Ajax in a vicious manner as he saw the rat approaching him.
As he expected, the beast was angered and jumped towards him only to find a nail like red colored object right in front of its left eye. Its beastly instincts kicked and it ducked, but wasn't fast enough. It felt an intense pain as its eye got pierced and squeaked very loudly.
The beast also immediately jumped back according to its instincts as it still didn't know what attacked it. Ajax also used that instant to cut to cut the web on his legs and decided to ran.
Both the traitors and spider were more concerned about the rat beast and moved towards it allowing Ajax a couple of steps. He was hoping that the squeak of the rat would attract the guards from the fort.
"Excellent work," came resounding yell, followed by a sudden suppressive feeling causing Ajax, the traitors and beasts to all stop in their tracks.
"No! I have information," said the older traitor but it was of no use.
In the next instant, three black knives from outside the room found their way into the heads of the two traitors and the spider. The knives for so fast and appeared like a flash like some shadow of a quick bird that Ajax didn't realize that those were knives before they got stuck in the three bodies. They immediately dropped as they lost their lives.
A translucent silver barrier covered the entire room as person wearing a black leather and cloth armor that covered his entire body walked in. Only his eyes which were large and azure blue were not covered by it. He had a few throwing knives sheathed on his belt along with a long black sword. He also had a small insignia of the border guard on left side of his chest.
He came in clapping and he was only looking at Ajax. He didn't seem to care about the rat beast which was still alive and his entire focus was on him.
"Are you the rescue? the border guards?" asked Ajax looking at the insignia of the border guard.
"Guard, yes. Rescue?" said the man looking up. "Na. More along the lines of recruiter."
At the same time, another man dressed similarly came from the other room carrying Timothy on his back.
"Boss, I rescued the other kid. Are you not done yet?" said the man as he came to a stop in front of him.
"Good," said the first one who seemed to be clearly the leader of the team of border guards.
"So, it is a rescue?" said Ajax as heard the other literally saying the word "rescued".
"No," said the first one looking at Ajax and then looked at the other guard.
"You get out with the kid," he said pointing to Timothy.
The other one looked at the rat beast which was still alive but whimpering and then Ajax and then the small barrier around the room which he had expected to be removed after killing the beast.
"Not now, they are newbies and probably traumatized, boss."
"Making it best time for a recruitment."
"You sure."
"Yes."
"Your fun or funeral," said the second guard as he shrugged his shoulders and began to walk out carrying Timothy.
Before, he got out of the room, he stopped for a second and removed a pair of long black knives which were strapped on his back and threw them for Ajax to catch. "Best of luck, newb."
"What is happening?" asked Ajax looking at the remaining man.
"Have you heard about illegal beast fights? You know, they put a man against a beast in a closed area," said the man as he removed an armor strap covering his mouth, revealing his face.
Along with azure blue eyes, he had a thin nose and wide mouth on a chiselled jaw which would make him look like model, if not for the wide creepy smile that was almost like he was stretching his lips and skin to the limit. It appeared like he would tear up his skin if he smiled any wider.
It gave him a weird vibe and made him remember about a cartoon villain called "Joker" in his past life.
"I know, but,"
"That's exactly what it is," said the man.
"I can fight in my condition. Even those in illegal fights are given weapons and started in good health," said Ajax trying to escape.
"You have weapons," said the man and threw a white pill towards him. It was clearly a healing pill which Ajax caught in his hand. "Now heal up and then fight if you want to live," said the man before turning towards the beast.
"You are not serious?" exclaimed Ajax.
"Why? You really impressed me and you called a golden eater a common rat. It is like calling a dragon a common lizard, you know. So, I want to see your caliber," said the man.
"That wasn't what I meant and this guy probably knew it. He just doesn't care. As he heard me called that golden eater, he was already listening from some time," thought Ajax and kept quiet.
"Now, you little eater. Are you ready for the fight?" asked the man looking at the rat beast.
"I am royalty, I can be killed, but not humiliated. I shall explode my core before participating in a fight for your entertainment," squeaked the eater.
"If that were true, you would have already exploded yourself," said the man smiling.
"Ok, I gave him a chance, allowed him to heal. So, I will give you one," said the man.
"Ok, heal my eye," said the beast.
"Ya, eyes are much delicate and healing is much harder and I don't have a pill for that. So, I can't help, but I will let you break through," said man.
"Break through? You will provide me human bodies for breakthrough?" squeaked the beast in surprise.
"Of course not, I will allow you to break through. I am sure that you can break through even now, just that you will be a bit out of energy," said the man.
"What nonsense? With such a break through, I can still be killed."
"Little one, you are confused. I can kill you even if broke through under the best conditions. For now, I want some entertainment and I am providing you a chance. If you win against the kid who doesn't even have a mana core, I will personally let you out of the fort safely. I can sign a soul contract with you that as long as the kid is alive, he will be the only one after you, unless you attack other humans. I don't believe you can get a better deal from anyone else," he explained.
Hearing that, the beast calmed down. "They have already caught me and this is indeed a decent way for me to get my freedom. Even though, my underlings are dead, fighting to earn my freedom is an honorable way. No one in the forest will say anything against that," it thought.
On the other hand, Ajax was flustered. "What are you talking about? I am at body strengthening phase and the beast is already at the peak of knight stage and seems to be a royal breed. How can I fight it?" he asked the man loudly.
The man calmly turned around to face Ajax. Ajax could still see a smile on his face, but his eye were anything but happy. It was like dark dangerous fire burning inside them which unconsciously made Ajax gulp in fear. He suddenly dashed standing beside Ajax
"You are stronger than anybody strengthening trainee I have seen and you are trained much better. So, a half blind, juvenile beast with hardly any energy is a good trial even if it is a new baron stage one. Anyway, it won't kill you as the contract states that it is only safe as long as you are alive. Moreover, you are quite well trained," whispered the man, so that only Ajax could hear.
"So, continue acting like you are afraid. A golden eater's core is quite valuable but more if it is baron stage. So, work with me, prince" he continued.
Hearing the man call him 'prince', Ajax was shocked quiet. It was suddenly hard for him to find words as he didn't know what to do.
"I agree," squeaked the beast and moved back. It suddenly started to glow in a pale white color as mana got sucked towards it and formed a small cocoon around it.