The time was 6:59 AM. The sun was up, and the girl who fell asleep on her back somehow curled up into a ball. It was just like a repeat of the previous morning. The light from the sun tickled her sleeping face until she finally stirred awake.  

Good morning, Servi.  

“Ngh…. Morning already?” Servi stretched out her body before rolling back over. “Hey, Itarr. Good morning.” 

Before her friend even had a chance to respond, there was a knock at the door.  

I believe it’s 7 AM. You wanted them to wake you up, remember? 

A soft look of confusion turned to panic as she got out of bed. Servi tripped on the blankets she had knocked off the bed in her sleep and bonked her head on the floor.

"Ow...” Servi moaned as she placed a hand on her forehead.

“Are you okay? I heard a noise.” A muffled voice came from outside the door.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” Servi replied, absorbing the out-of-place bed and equipping her gear before grasping the handle. Taking a deep breath, she heard the doorknob creek as the door opened. Standing before her was the woman Servi and Momo gave chocolates to. She was in one of her uniforms: a black blouse with a white button-up shirt, black pants, and shoes. Servi then just realized how much black her outfit had. She would’ve thought that an organization as big as Warden would have a different uniform. Maybe something with a bit of color?

“Claire?” 

“Good morning! You requested a wake-up, correct? I saw your name on the list.” She flashed a friendly smile at one of her favorite Warden members.

“Yeah, I did. Thanks! I gotta be at the headquarters at 8.” 

“You’re welcome. Oh, before I forget, take this,” Claire reached down into a small bag she had wrapped around her waist and pulled out a ten coin dupla.  

“What’s this for? The chocolate was a gift, you know.” 

“It’s not for the chocolate. Since most Rank 10 members will be with their mentors for a while, they might not have many opportunities to do quests and earn money.  In order to remedy that, the decision was made to give a small stipend to each member in the program.” 

Servi thanked Claire and deposited the gift in her pouch.

“You’re welcome. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to wake up Momo.” 

What’s the plan? Itarr asked.

Servi locked her door and made her way downstairs. “We go to the headquarters. Gotta be there in an hour, and it takes almost forty-five minutes to get there.” 

Okay.  

As she made her way through the lobby and outside the door, she noticed that a different girl sat behind the sign-up desk. Servi silently said a small prayer wishing the girl the strength to power through the day.

I’m glad Claire is happy because I like seeing people happy. Itarr said.  Her thoughts raced back to when she and Servi met, and she decided her favorite moments were when she saw Servi gleefully laughing with Momo.

“Yeah, me too," Servi replied.

Making her way outside, Servi walked through the streets and back roads. The headquarters was a surprisingly long walk away from Warden. That meant she saw all kinds of people and things during her little trip, including little Singi girls with their moms out doing the earlier morning grocery shopping. There was also the pair of Koena who were using their scaley bodies to carry boxes and even a Kobold who helped a little boy, who had short red hair and brown eyes after running into the Kobold. The large Kobold turned around and held out his scaley and furry hand before smiling, showing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. The boy grabbed it with his tiny hand, and the Kobold pulled him up before walking the other way.

“I’m sorry!” the boy exclaimed as he turned around. Servi heard the Kobold grunted in response as he walked off.  

For a moment, Servi thought it would turn ugly, and she went for her sword before suddenly stopping herself. She was disgusted with how she instantly wanted to turn to violence. At that moment, Servi was so glad that Itarr wasn’t able to hear her thoughts.  

Why?! Why did I go for my sword?! Is this how I am now? Am I someone who always resorted to violence? It feels like I’m a different person each day.  

For but a brief moment, her mood turned sour. It disgusted her. But then she felt the tinge of a headache and blinked. It was gone. She felt great, euphoric even, as a slight smile formed on her face.  

No, I only did it as a precaution.  Servi did her best to convince herself.

“I did the right thing? Right?” she turned to her beloved Goddess for help.

You did. There was always a chance for it to turn violent. Now, we don’t want to be late, do we? 

“No, we don’t,” Servi smiled at the boy, who cheerfully ran towards a woman with red hair. She looked old but not old enough to be his mother. Maybe she was his sister? 

Forty or so minutes later, Servi's eyes took in the royal-looking headquarters.  The ocean-blue ramparts stood tall and strong. Like before, two guards stood on each side of the exquisite doors leading to the lobby. Because of the all-encompassing, Servi didn't know if they were the same guards who stood outside yesterday.

After waving to them, she entered through the opened door, reaching the lobby and smiling when she saw Roland. Walking up with a smile on her face, she waved to him as he looked up from a stack of papers.

“It’s 7:55, right on time. Captain Fisher told me to tell his mentees to go straight to the training field,” his gentle voice didn't match his demeanor.  

Servi thanked him and made her way through a series of hallways until she came to a set of double doors. Entering, she saw six people just a few meters ahead of her.  

“You’re the last to arrive! Hurry up!” Fisher barked. He wasn’t wearing his armor, and instead, he had on a t-shirt and shorts. Both had the word 'Justice' on them.  Servi thought it was a bit over the top, but she had to stop herself from making a scene when she saw his athletic shoes.  They were black, like his armored boots, but Fisher's idiotic nickname was handwritten on the side as if a child wrote it.

How pretentious, Servi thought.  Regardless of her true feelings, she had to keep up the charade for the time being. 

“Look, I said to wear breathable clothes, and you show up in your armor. Why?” Fisher demanded.

That’s when she realized that everyone, except Feral, who went shirtless with only pants, had on regular clothes and not their armor. It was all t-shirts and shorts for the Dwarves, but just pants for the two Koena. Their white and black scales  respectively reflected and absorbed the hot sun. Silverado’s chest looked to be completely healed. If she hadn’t seen it first hand, she never would’ve known that his chest was caved in just a day ago.  

Servi was naked under her armor, so she used her ring to put on underwear, a black t-shirt, and loose shorts that came to her knees while choosing to keep her boots on. Then she took off her shield and laid it on the hard ground that had already been heated by the bright sun.

“I have them. I didn’t want to leave my armor.” Servi made up an excuse as she took off her armor to reveal the clothes she secretly put on.

“Good. Now then, everyone, stand up and gather around!” Everyone stopped what they were doing and ran to Fisher.

“Today, I am going to announce the schedule for the next month. Listen up and listen close! In the next six days, you will push your body further than you ever had before. Your muscles will rip and tear and grow back stronger than ever. You will be in pain and agony, but don’t you dare give up! A tank would never give up in the face of danger. Show me your resolve! On the seventh day, you all will spar once again after the workout. You’re allowed to use shields!  The week after that, you will train your mind! There is more to being a tank than standing still and taking hits! After that, you will spar once again, but with skills as well as shields. Then, there is the final exam. I can’t tell you yet because you don’t deserve to know!” 

Fisher stood still after his little explanation. He watched the reaction of his mentees very closely as he explained the schedule. He was trying to see which word they reacted to. Even something like an eye twitch or an arm scratch was a telltale sign of something.

What that something was, he didn’t exactly know. But this was a training program he had developed for the city guard. He took every minute detail into account and constantly changed his view and schedule. That’s why, until the past month, Canary’s guards had a bit of a reputation for being strong and resilient in southeastern Lando. Ever since the attack and the disappearance of Arnold, one of the top two guards in Canary, that reputation had tanked.

Speaking of the guard, until a month ago, Fisher was only a lieutenant. The same rank as his friend, Arnold. Now, they were friends, but only in the sense that they grew up together in a small village a few days away from Canary. There were many things Fisher hated about Arnold, but the two had no choice but to rely on each other as they grew from children to adults. They worked their way up through the world of the city guard. It took years, but they both made it. In fact, the two of them were both appropriate choices for the Captain position. When Arnold disappeared, and Fisher had to relay the emergency quest at Warden to find him, he chose to take on up the role of Captain for himself.  And as he thought, he received no backlash or complaints because his record had been nearly spotless. 

He knew that Arnold was dead, and sure, he was sad. Fisher and Arnold had differing opinions on nearly everything, and they even came to blows during a few tense moments. Especially during a particular incident that happened before he disappeared. Fisher knew it was morally wrong, but it was legal in the eyes of the law. But he didn’t expect Arnold to take it that far. Not even Fisher had crossed that line. All Fisher wanted to do was push and pull, not slice and stab. Not even for those Demi-Humans he hated so much. Fisher knew deep down it was wrong and wanted to stop himself and Arnold. He really did, but he wasn’t the strong man everyone made him out to be. He thought himself to be weak and pathetic when it came to a lot of things.

They aren’t Human, and they’re nothing but property. That was how Fisher tried to justify the unjustifiable. He even yelled at Arnold, who laughed and laughed over what he did. When he stabbed that young boy in the foot, it was only for the purpose of inflicting pain and terror. It wasn’t justice. Not at all. And the entirety of the situation forced Fisher's nickname to be more a curse and a weapon than something to be proud of.

That damn fool forced me to take this shitty name. Even knowing I hated it. I never wanted it in the first place, and now I can’t get rid of it. I have to act like I’m proud of it… 

He shook his head, erasing those thoughts of his very first battle and how he got his nickname. Then he turned his attention to the six in front of him.  

Five Demis and one Human. They all had the chance to be good, maybe even excellent, tanks. But doing was different than saying. The girl was obviously at the number two spot on his list. Servi had incredible stamina, running hundreds of meters without sweating. And she was sharp-witted in battle, and she even knew the hand-over-blade stance. It was only perfect for one on one fights. But just the sheer know-how proved Servi had a solid core to branch off of. But she wasn’t that knowledgeable when it came to certain things. She never should’ve tried to match her strength to a Kobold. In a purely physical fight with no skills between a Human and a Kobold, the Kobold would win 99 times out of 100.  

And then there was Feral. Large and mighty, he was the strongest one, physically, out of the six mentees. In terms of pure muscle, Fisher knew he wouldn't stand a chance against him.  However, strength in both mind and body worked together to form a warrior.  He knew there was a high chance Feral didn't have the mental capacity to adapt and learn on the fly.  That was the reason why Fisher knew he would be victorious against Feral 100 percent of the time.

The two Dwarves and both Koena all had potential, but they needed a lot of work. And that was fine. The entire idea behind the program was to instill confidence and the knowledge required to be a better adventurer. Even if they acted otherwise, everyone here had something to learn, something they didn’t know.