Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"You're actually really good," Ray said, pushing Silkan back with a grunt.

"Tch, I'm just getting started," Silkan retorted, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"Nope, you're done. You're not the only one who can use magic, y'know." Ray surged forward, his sword crackling with energy.

{Shock}

[Boost]

As their swords clashed once more, arcs of electricity danced from Ray's blade to Silkan's, sending a jolt of energy through his body. Silkan's muscles seized up, his grip faltering.

Seizing the moment, Ray swept Silkan's legs out from under him with a swift kick. Silkan crashed to the ground, gasping as Ray leveled his sword at his throat.

"Do you yield?" Ray asked, his voice steady and commanding.

Silkan, panting and humiliated in front of everyone, had no choice but to nod. "This isn't over. You just got lucky."

Ray smirked, sheathing his sword as he turned back to his friends. "Huhh? How was that?" he asked.

"That was awesome," Cedric replied, his eyes wide with admiration.

"Sloppy, if you ask me," Asher said with a shrug.

"Show off," Finn and Aiden chorused, grinning.

"So, we'll be seeing more of this from now on, huh?" Matthew asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess we'll just have to make it so people don't dare to challenge us," Ray said, his tone light as they made their way to Dorm 15, chatting and laughing.

As they approached the dorm, a loud scream pierced the air. The group rushed to see what had happened.

They arrived just in time to see Jett dodging a barrage of objects being hurled out of a room, a girl's voice ringing out in anger.

"C'mon, Freya, I'm sorry! I had no idea someone was inside!" Jett yelled, ducking as a glass vase shattered against the wall. "Stop throwing random objects at me!"

"Then leave!" Freya shouted, her face flushed with fury.

"Freya? What's going on? Why is Jett here?" Rosa asked as she and Elora appeared on the scene, their expressions a mix of confusion and concern.

"Isn't it obvious? He was trying to sneak into her room," Elora said, pointing her sword at Jett. "You poor girl, I'll teach him a lesson for you."

"If this is about walking in on you, then I can assure you, there was nothing to see," Jett said, raising his arms in mock surrender and giving a dishonest smile.

"You…" Freya launched herself at him, delivering a brutal roundhouse kick that sent him sprawling.

"Ugh… That's gotta hurt," Matthew said as they watched from a distance.

"I never knew you could go this low, man. Care to explain yourself?" Ray asked, looking at Jett with disappointment.

By now, a few curious onlookers had gathered to see what was going on. Jett was in trouble, but he had to prove his innocence somehow.

"I had no idea she was inside. This is just a big misunderstanding," Jett pleaded.

"Doesn't look that way to me," Evelina shouted from the back.

"But that's my room, see?" Jett tried to explain, showing the proof on his ring. "There, you see? I was telling the truth."

Ray checked the information on the screen from Jett's ring and matched it to the room number. They were the same. 'Jett, you lucky bastard,' Ray thought with a sly smile. "He's telling the truth; that's his room."

"That's not possible," Freya said, checking her ring again to be sure she was in the right room. It was also her room, which meant that she and Jett were actually roommates.

"This can't be happening. How do we fix this?" Freya asked, looking worried.

"We can always ask the Dorm Mistress for help," Jett replied. "I don't really fancy sharing a room with you, either."

They both went to appeal to the Dorm Mistress, asking if it was possible to change rooms.

The Dorm Mistress, however, declined their request, stating firmly, "You are stuck as partners until you leave the school. There are no available rooms for changes."

"I can't believe I have to share a room with you," Freya sighed.

"Believe me, the feeling's mutual," Jett replied.

They walked back to their room, feeling defeated. Once inside, Freya brought out a large cloth and began forming a curtain to divide the room.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Jett asked, watching her work with a frown.

"This is my space, and that's yours. If we're going to be living together, then we'll have to set some ground rules," Freya said, stepping back from her newly claimed side.

"Huh? You're leaving me with just the door?" Jett said, feeling dissatisfied.

The room was spacious, with enough room for two people to use a long table set in the center.

Both beds were on opposite sides of the room, making Freya's idea work, though it was still lacking for Jett. He found himself confined to a smaller section near the entrance, while Freya's side appeared more comfortable and private.

"Don't complain. You should be grateful that I haven't kicked you out yet," Freya said, settling into a chair with a determined look.

"The rules are simple: no interfering in each other's lives, no trespassing on my side, knock every time before entering, and you're not allowed to bring anyone inside," Freya listed, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

"Hmm, so you're allowed to trespass in my space? I don't like that," Jett said, lying on his bed with a defiant smirk.

"And I don't care. It's either that, or you're sleeping outside," Freya threatened, her eyes narrowing.

Jett knew she wasn't joking and had no choice but to agree. "Fine, have it your way."

*****

At the capital, where the adventurers' guild stood, Nerissa was at the quest board, scanning through the available quests in search of something exciting.

"What's taking you so long? Just pick one and let's go, Nerissa," a lady with a wand whined, jumping onto her shoulder.

"Alright, alright, I'll hurry up. I just need something exciting, that's all," Nerissa replied, her eyes still darting over the quests.

"Like last time when you got us lost in the Mist Labyrinth? Why don't you let me pick?" a man added. He had a big build and carried a massive shield on his back.

"And the other time we almost died because you thought it was a good idea to take a mission that involved swimming when you didn't know how to," another lady chimed in. Her outfit made her look like an assassin, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Rena, Devin, Lay, just leave her alone. So, fearless leader, make up your mind already. I have bills to pay," another man said, leaning back in a chair close to the board.

"Hey Leroy, how do you use up that much money in such a short amount of time?" Devin asked, looking concerned.

"This look doesn't come cheap, you should know that," Leroy replied with a smirk.

Nerissa finally spotted a quest that caught her eye. "Alright, I've found one! Let's go, everyone."

After waiting for a while, Nerissa finally spotted an interesting quest on the board. "How about this one? It doesn't seem dangerous, but the pay is nice. 1000 gold coins."

"1000? That's 200 each?" Leroy exclaimed, falling to the ground in shock. "What's the mission?"

"It's a simple D-rank investigation. There have been sightings of an unusual monster near Futura, and they're looking for adventurers to help identify it. I'm surprised it's still available," Nerissa said.

"Yeah, a quest like this would usually have adventurers rushing to complete it," Lay said, reading through the quest details. "It looks suspicious."

"And that's why we're going," Nerissa declared energetically, her tone brimming with authority.

"Are you not listening to me?" Lay asked, a bit annoyed by Nerissa's free-spirited attitude.

"We can play it safe and still make lots of money. Don't you think so too?" Nerissa asked, turning to Leroy.

"I think so too," Leroy agreed, nodding.

"Sounds fun. I'll go wherever you want, Neri," Rena added with a cheerful grin.

"Hehe, three against two, Lay Lay. Looks like we're going," Nerissa said with a smug face.

"You guys are unbelievable," Lay said, covering her face with her hand. 'I feel like I'm taking care of someone else's children,' she thought.

"Just deal with it and get prepared. We just need to go, stay for a few days, check the area, and come back with a valid report," Devin said, trying to calm Lay down.

"And don't forget about Futura's famous apple pixie cross pie, which we absolutely have to taste," Rena added in a celebratory manner.

*****

The next day, they headed out and made their way to Futura through the Teleportation platform. The magical energies enveloped them, and in a flash, they found themselves in the quaint village of Futura. Their first stop was the village lord's mansion to explain their presence.

"Can you tell me more about this quest?" Nerissa asked, her tone businesslike.

"Well, you see, an unusually strange monster was spotted a few months ago in the forest surrounding the village. Since then, a few of our villagers have gone missing. We've tried to capture the monster twice, but the people we sent never came back," the Lord explained, his face etched with worry.

"Isn't the mission supposed to be an investigation?" Lay asked, her brow furrowing.

"And it sounds more like a C or B rank mission," Devin added, crossing his arms.

"Why would you withhold information as crucial as that?" Nerissa asked, her expression turning serious.

"I'm sorry, we had to so someone would accept it," the Lord replied, his tone remorseful.

"Let's go," Nerissa said to her party as she stood up abruptly.

The party left the Lord's mansion immediately.

"I told you it was suspicious, so we're going back, right?" Lay asked, sighing in relief.

"We're staying. We'll take care of the monster and then report to the guild," Nerissa said firmly.

"Plus, it's a C or maybe a B rank quest. Nothing a bunch of A rank adventurers can't handle," Leroy added with a confident grin.

"The village is still in danger. It wouldn't be right to leave them like this," Devin said, nodding in agreement.

"We have to protect the pie… I mean, the village at all costs," Rena said, her eyes sparkling with determination.

"Alright, you win. Let's clear this mess and go back home. I'll scout the area for now," Lay said, resigning herself to the plan.

The team prepared themselves for the task ahead, knowing that they were up against something more dangerous than they had anticipated.

*

*

*

It's time for Nerissa.