Desiderio Domini

Chapter 9

“NEW MEMBERS OF THE NEOX SODALITY TOPS THE ROYAL GUILD SERVANT EXAMINATIONS WITH SCORES RANGING FROM 9.9, 9.8 AND 9.7 CAUSING A MAJOR UPSET AND BUZZ!”

And here we thought Neox Sodality, one of the Elite Three, failed to get another batch of guild members this year for almost a decade surprised us by sending their three new trainees to this year’s Royal Guild Servant Examinations to sweep away all competitions rather easily. With scores ranging near perfect, they easily stepped over Aindrac Order’s own three much touted new recruits who scored measly 7.5, 7.3 and 7.2 respectively though they did get the top four, five and six spots, it’s no surprise that this made them upset as they are already seen celebrating in the central plaza of Libertad last night with all media representatives from all networks present to cover the said event.

On the other hand, the Guild Hero of Neox Sodality whom we ambushed for interview when we saw him exiting the Royal Registrar after renewing his guild’s contract for another ten year term, said that she just left the education of the three top notchers to his guild’s governess, Photomancer Saint Grasya Divina with the help of his guild members to teach them what needs to be learned.

He also added that the three are already highly intelligent honorable graduates in their own courses to begin with so they are really lucky that no one bothered to enlist them when they are applying for guild slots.

The youngest of the three is the Apprentice, Mors Finis from the Royal Capital City of Libertad, a very young boy who managed to become the youngest ever guild member not just in Neox Sodality but also in our history at just a tender age of barely thirteen.

Next is the Illusionist in the group, Wynda Laverna from the Marquisate of Sabayat, a very gifted woman who managed not just to finish the Illusionist Degree, which no other mortal did for decades, but did so as top of her graduating class.

She is followed by the fearsome Vladira Sandugo, the Spiritualist and Wynda’s second in their batch in terms of grades. She scored the lowest of the three but considering the points of the one after her, she can easily be considered as a genius on her own right, as expected of those who wields the power of darkness.

It is actually a surprise how these three wound up in the most unconventional guild, albeit one of the best ones, when sources says that they applied unsuccessfully to at least a dozen guilds and even joined the Apliccants Charity Pit to no avail.

One of those guilds are Aindrac whose anonymous insider said that the Illusionist and Spiritualist was kicked out from the hiring queue even!

Police sources confirmed the rumors that one guild even called the constable to report the two girls who are just applying to their receptionist.

Truly they wasted such promising candidates and of course, it’s the infamous Neox Sodality who got them.

Known for their odd and sometimes unreasonable hiring practices, they tend to hunt for members rather than wait for them to come to their guild manse.

With the Guild Hero being fashionably late as usual, bystanders reported that he whisked the three away immediately when they are on their way home from the arena guildless and the result is the second most influential guild in the world recieving the Royal Guild Grant for three years.

For readers who are not aware of the Royal Guild Grant, it is a large sum of money to the tune of a staggering twenty-four million pesos enough to cover the elite guild’s luxuruous spending for years easily.

Considering that the top three is from the same guild, besides from the twenty-four million pesos for the top one, the top two and three will recieve twelve million and six million pesos respectively for their guild.

According to my various anonymous tipsters, all eyes are now jealously trained at the reasonably dismissed guild which acts less like a guild and more of a company as they always scramble to keep their group solvent because they don’t have any noble patrons to finance their daily expenses and maintenance of their guild manse.

With the addition of three promising members and the prize money they earned, let’s hope that we will see more of Neox Sodality in the monthly Guild Sieges.

It has been so long since they even join one and there are rumors inside the Royal Armed Forces that the fighting capability of Neox Sodality is already subpar because of years of failure to show us all their strength in battle against the other guilds.

“Wow, tingnan mo nga naman kayong tatlo! Front page agad, hindi ninyo pa nga master ang mga jobs ninyo!” masayang wika ng Guild Hero namin after Sasha finished reading the whole article proudly, “Hindi lang kayo nagdala ng kasikatan, nagdala pa kayo ng limpak-limpak na pera and you haven’t been with us for half a year!”

Hindi na kami nakaiwas ng isa-isa na kaming nilunod ng Guild Madam sa kaniyang mayamang dibdib lovingly, “Oh, my adorable little members. I am so proud of what you three have achieved! Our guild motto still stands the test of time for centuries!”

“Guild motto?” impit na tanong ni Mors habang halos d na siya makahinga sa dibdib ni Sasha.

Tumango si Gaius at nag-thumbs up sa kaniya, “Yes. Our age old motto of, “One guild’s trash is our guild’s treasure.” Kaya nakakakuha kami ng mga gaya ninyong tatlo. We look at the undesirables, the scorned, the ridiculed and the unwanted. We try to look at a different angle and see their worth, if there is, burried and hidded from undescerning eyes.”

“But in your case, hindi ko pupurihin ang lokong ito. A Neomancer, Hazemancer and Necromancer in the making! Bakit sa fifty-nine na guilds out there wala ni-isang kumuha sa inyo? Ang basic naman eh! I’m not exaggerating ha? Pero kung makaka-abot kayo sa level namin ni Gaius, you three can singlehandedly defeat any of the top eight guilds except Aindrac easily, tutunganga na lang kami sa entrance ng mga forts at papalakpak sa inyo as you decimate guilds upon guilds easily,” seryosong sabi nito as our Guild Hero nodded solemnly and look at us as if it is his luckiest day that he managed to rope us into joining his guild, “Up until now, topic pa din sa guild natin kung bakit iniiwasan kayo ng ibang guilds. Okay, given na kinatatakutan si Vladira, bunch of cowards if I might add, pero Wynda? Why, iyong last Hazemancer decades ago ay member ng Prestige Society decimated our guild amongst any guilds who dared fight against them on his own.”

Sumandal lang ang Guild Hero namin sa kaniyang leather na upuan at bumuntong-hininga, “You all just don’t get it, huh? Let me break it to you, Sasha, hindi na gaya ng dati na palakasan ang labanan. Ayaw lang nila na may sasapaw sa kanila in terms of fame, power and prestige.”

He then looked at the three of us from head to foot approvingly.

“Kaya kung papakawalan natin itong tatlo when they are fully ready, tiyak na mawiwindang sila sa lakas ng mga bago nating members, for they are all resting on their laurels for so long. Kumuha man sila ng mga members, sinisigurado ng mga nauna na walang chance silang malamangan in all aspects. They only train their members, especially the rest of the top eight guilds, only the basics. Kaya nga nilampaso ninyo sila easily sa Royal Guild Servant Examinations. Hindi nila itinuro everything thinking that they are already the best. Aindrac especially is the best example of what I am talking about. Ayaw na ayaw ng mga namumuno doon na mag-improve to the point na malalamangan na sila ng mga bagong salta or gumaling so much na makaisip lumipat ng guild,” he then laugh out loud as he pointed himself comically, “Ako? Wala akong pakialam kung may mas malakas sa akin dito. Sasha is already stronger than me by leaps and bounds, and I am sure you two already know na wala siyang sinabi herself compared sa dalawa nating muses. Candice and Cailee are our newest member before you. They were recruited here almost a decade ago and by now, sila ang isa sa mga heavy hitters namin if kailangan namin ng muscles, as odd as that sounds. Though kaming tatlo nila Sasha at Grasya ang nagpapatakbo nitong guild, we are not afraid if someone else is stronger than us as long as you bring money in, wala kaming pake.”

Tumango ang Performancer at niyakap kaming tatlo muli, “You three already brought so much fame and fortune to our guild at hindi pa nga kayo nangangalahati sa training phase namin. What more kung natapos na ninyo? Goodness gracious, keep on doing what you are doing and have fun. That’s what matters. Soon, very soon, malalasahan ninyo na rin ang tunay na buhay ng isang Neox Sodality guild member.”

“A little warning though, it’s not as glamorous as it sounds and looks. Well, I bet masasabi sa inyo ng dalawa nating muses na it’s not all make-ups and glitters. We need to earn our keep. But for now, don’t worry about yours, you already earned them.”

Iyon lang at naglaho na ulit ang Guild Hero namin in a massive and loud explosion of flames and smoke as usual.

-0-

“What are the the ten elemental jobs again available to mortals?” magiliw na tanong ni Grasya sa aming tatlo dito sa library ng guild manse na nagsisilbing classroom din namin, “Yes, Mors?”

Tumayo agad ang masiglang bata at nagsimula nang i-recite ang mga trabo na nakalaan para sa aming mga pinanganak na may elemental capabilities, “Geomancer, Hydromancer, Pyromancer, Hazemancer, Photomancer, Necromancer, Electromancer, Performancer, Glaciemancer and Neomancer.”

“Correct! There are ten elemental jobs for mortals who can wield the basic building blocks of power ng Gaia. But I doubt itinuro sa inyo sa school na may tatlong subfocus pa ang bawat isang jobs maliban sa Neomancer?” she then looked at me dahil nahalata niya sa expression ko na unlike my friends, hindi ako nagulat sa sinabi niya, “How about you tell me what they are, Vladira?”

I nodded and began reciting the things I have read only in passing nang mabigyan ako dati ng access sa restricted wing ng library ng aming school because of my connection to the dead, I already knew some of the “forbidden” knowledge that are not accesible to mere mortals who are not in guilds. Besides, nakakakwentuhan ko ang iba’t-ibang mga namayapa nang myembro ng mga guilds and they told me a lot about their past life.

“Geomancers can further pick one focus from terraforming, plant manipulation or animal taming. Hydromancers on the otherhand are capable of choosing to focus in liquid, aquaforming or summoning marine animals. Pyromancers are capable of manipulating heat, magma and explosions. Hazemancers however have options in mastering the wind itself, ilussions or reality-bending. Photomancers can be proficient in either one of the following: light, healing, and protection. Necromancers can master either shadow, undead or  curse. Electromancer may choose among these three, electricity, speed and static. A close relative of that is the Performancer which may focus on either sound, shock or performing. Finally, we have Glaciemancer which can either pick from snow, hail or cold. Neomancers can choose whatever they want from any elemental jobs.”

She clapped her hands at tumango kay Wynda, “Excellent and complete explanation, Vladira! Now, Wynda, why don’t you tell us how all these elements interact with each other?”

“Earth is strong against water, water is strong against fire, fire is strong against wind, wind is strong against lightning, lightning is strong against thunder, thunder is strong against ice and finally, ice is strong against earth,” she said clearly and loudly as Mors and I write her words, “Light is strong against dark and immune from dark damage and its own. Dark takes less damage from all elements except double from light and also immune from its own.”

Mors raised his hand before standing up, “So ibig sabihin, mahina lang ang lahat ng elemento sa dark pero malakas ang liwanag dito?”

“Theoretically speaking, that is,” maingat na sagot ng governess namin as she glanced at my direction knowingly before tapping her fingers at her desk, “Iyon ang normal na nakasanayan na kaalam ng mga mortal at immortal. But one particular Necromancer who focused on curses proved them completely otherwise. Not only he is taking half damage from other elements, halos walang damage sa kaniya ang liwanag.”

Pero mabilis na umiling ang pinakabata sa aming tatlo, “That’s impossible! It’s like bending the very basic elemental laws of Gaia!”

Grasya sighed before turning on the projector she prepared for today, “I know hindi kayo maniniwala hanggat hindi ninyo nakikita personally ang ebidensya. Watch carefully.”

The first images appeared and it is clearly a one versus one battle between a powerful Saint Photomancer and a seedy but painfully familiar Necromancer.

“Teka! Si tito iyan diba?!” malakas na irit ni Wynda as she recognized the lopsided smile of my very own father while the very confident opponent of his is hovering above him in all its light and glory, “Ang bata pa niya dito pero grabe, hindi ako pwede magkamali!”

Tumango ako quietly as we watched how the next scenes unfold quite not what we all expected.

Kung titingnan mo ang match na ito base solely on their elements, talong-talo na ang Necromancer.

Hindi tatalab ang kahit anong ibato niya sa Photomancer at may malaking chance na ma-one hit siya on just one skill.

“Holy Beam!”

Isang light focused pala itong kalaban niya.

The only battleready option for Photomancers, that Necromancer is toast as a pure beam of light from the heaven itself descended from the skies and seared the dark elemental user in its potent light.

Nagsigawan na ang mga tao at tumunog na ang gong. It can only mean one thing.

One hit knockout at kalaban.

Or not.

Natahimik ang buong arena ng mawala ang liwanag at nakatayo pa din ang Necromancer na nakangiti ng nakakaloko as if he is expecting something a bit more from the attack.

“Hallowed Light!”

Several beams of light appeared around the Photomancer before raining down on his opponent culminating in a massive explosion.

The gong rang again but for the second time, the Necromancer, my father in his younger rebel years appeared unscathed and totally fine as if nothing happened.

“Final Purification!”

Nagsigawan ang mga tao ng nabalot ng nakakasilaw na liwanag ang buong field ng arena as beams of searing light washed away everything and anything from sight.

Well everything and anything except my now grinning father who heaved a sigh and stretched his arms lazily.

“What kind of cheating is this?!”

Kung ako ang nasa katayuan ng Photomancer, iisipin ko talaga na may daya but...

“Are you really and publicly assuming that some kind of treachery and trick can happen in the holy ground that the creator himself has blessed for purity and honesty?”

He is right.

Sa Libertad Arena, walang daya ang maaaring maganap. It is decreed by god himself way back then to allow disputes to be settled cleanly and with finality.

My father spread his thin arms rather impressively as several frightening skulls enveloped in dark aura appeared and began chanting words only he, and I, can understand before using the strongest skill in his repertoire.

Not to mention his signature move.

“Hexagonal Hex!”

The skulls formed the said shape and in a loud groan, unleashed a pure blast of red and black energy towards the Photomancer who didn’t even have a time to react as the skill hit him instantly and all we can hear is his scream of pain as if he is being tormented and finally after almost a minute of being trapped in the miasma, he fall to the ground unconscious and the gong was sounded for the third time and this one is for my father who just bowed respectfully at his opponent before vanishing into the darkness as the video is finished.