Paperwork and a Fistfight

The training from hell, their words not mine, was over.

Now the real challenge began, paperwork.

Even out here only so much administration work could be ignored.

We had completed enough missions and our success rate was high enough to warrant consideration for a higher tier, now we just needed to fill out the paperwork and convince the ranking officer our trio would survive.

Having already spent the first half of the day arguing with the regular clerk getting my paperwork right with my new name associated with my old life.

While rare, name and gender changes did happen in the service to the gods, problem was, the god I lied about following wasn't known to do that, thankfully this clerk wasn't well versed enough to call me on my BS.

After jumping through every hoop, I had everything nice and legal, well legal on the frontier, I'd need a core judge to get it recognized anywhere else...

Unlike me, Raquel had it easy, she was already known, to the clerk, to be changing in such a way, in fact that earned me a comment from the clerk about, 'procrastinating and making more work for them'.

Apparently the meek girl had been called out her first time here, because nobody believed her identification matched the cutie that stood before them.

Clearing it up had required a few awkward moments, a healer, and would have required a message home.

If not for the clerk noticing the lost god writen on the same page, after that she acted like it explained everything.

Which it did, but it was still emotional whiplash to go from being grilled over every small detail to having everything hand waved.

"Be careful, some people will give you trouble just for your circumstances."

"The lost goddess or my changes?"

"Both, you three are good kids, do your job, don't start fights in town, and take missions others don't want so the newer guys don't get stuck with garbage. However to some, being decent folk doesn't matter if you step outside the lines."

"Thanks miss, we'll keep an eye on each other, it's the only reason we've made it this far."

---

It took another day for us to meet the head official.

Instead of his office we where at a field set aside for use by the officers that came from combat backgrounds.

"You three have the record to warrant the rank, and we need the help on the higher tiers, but I'm loath to throw you three into that meat grinder, not when you lot are the reason a member of my family still lives."

"No good deed goes unpunished , who's sorry ass did we save?" Kay, civil toung, Civil!

"My nefew works building fortifications, you, my crass friend, healed him, and if the rumors are to be believed, at great cost to yourself, I would not return that kindness by sending you to die."

"So you are going to make us prove ourselves, aren't you."

"Sharp, yes I am, just for my own peace. That the trio famous for refusing additional solos as help, yet having a success rate higher than some veteran four-man teams, isn't going to be wiped out because they were overconfident."

"Famous?" Rox, quick to blush.

"Only as far as the local gossip goes, I assure you."

"So what's the task, kick your head in? Can do. I want to get this done before dinner time. Mir promised my favorite if I 'behaved'."

"And you're getting close to missing out on that Kay!" Girl why can you not antagonize every authority figure you meet?!

"Hey, I've been plenty good, I've not called them any names or even cursed anyone out!"

"That's not something you be bragging about, that's just what your supposed to do!"

"Mir, don't let her drag you down to her level-"

" Hey! "

"Kay, quick trying to rile her up, I know you love banter, but not the time."

"Fine" "Okayyyy"

"Awe the playfulness of youth, now my challenge, you will fight me as a team. I will judge you accordingly"

"I was right! Take that Mir."

I saw his stance change and I was in my battlefield headspace.

"Kay, take position, midrange, Rox, rear guard. I'm front, standard strategy, single hard target." At my tone change they both came to attention and took their places on the field, moving in sync with me as I moved.

A sword the color of blood was in my hand as I blocked his lightning fast strike.

"Good, you'd be surprised how many never learn, always hesitating when attacked without the formalities of a referee. For beginners it's a flaw. For the front? It's death."

Gods and Goddess he was strong.

So was I, his surprise was palpable as I slowly pushed him. "Lose lips are a sin on the battlefield, you should speak only when required."

With that I dropped all resistance and rolled backward, and to the side, with the force of his blade arm, He was now unbalanced and in line for Kay's shot.

Or so I thought, blade moved and slammed into ground, righting his balance with one hand, the other darting out to grab the Knife midair, his other hand left the sword once balanced and stopped my close range follow up crossbow shot, forcefully redirecting the shot wide enough to glance off his armor.

The crossbow became the same sword again as I tried to distract him from the three more blades coming from Kay, he managed to parry my attack, ripping his sword out of the ground one handed and deflecting the knives with the one he stole mid air.

It was then Roxy reminded him she was there, 'ICE falls and armies die, we are all equal before the storm.'

The attack was smaller than what she could manage, but this size worked perfectly here.

His sword became a blur as he fought off the blade storm, he never paid mind to one more 'useless' dagger missing it mark.

Until it exploded, the fire and ice made a steam explosion.

When the smoke cleared, instead of a body me and Kay would have to heal, there was nothing.

"Surrender, you have lost this match."

He was standing behind Roxy blade to her throat.

"No"

"Foolishness, in the field you won't have the enemies mercy to count on, know when to yeld!"

"Never! Try it, when you fail I'm taking your balls!" Kay always good for a threat.

"Roxy force his hand."

It startled him she she stepped into the blade and her armor glowed to life, pushed his blade with her throat and receiving no damage.

The blade of ice she held at his balls drove the point home.

"Seems I still managed to underestimate you, two powerful artifacts welders, your frontliner can match me in strength and handles her blade like a veteran, decent coordination, there is plenty to improve but I would say you are ready."

"Do you yield?" Roxy pushes her blade slightly harder, not enough to cut, but enough to feel frost form.

"You trained your support well, none of you have let your guard down yet, Yes I yield."

"You only let your guard down when you sleep and only then if you have trusted comrades on guard rotation."

"Miranda was it? I've heard that before, years ago from a young man, grumpy beyond his years."

"You've met one of the men from my family then. Even when I debated the healers path, they taught me war."

"I can see that, what were the sins of the battlefield again, I vaguely remember him dressing down a younger family member about the, discord...?"

"Speaking, disorder, hesitation, comfort."

"That's it! He was getting chewed out, he was flirting with some girl on their team!"

"That would do it, I don't let these two get away with it in the field either."

"Well then, I don't believe I have any reason to hold you back, for a team that's 2/3s support on paper, all three of you are terrors."

"Thank you sir." My smile was all teeth. "All know Hostiles neutralized, standby."

Roxy dissolves the knife and steps back with a nod to me. "Mir"

"Finally! Fuck, Can we get dinner now?" Kay is well Kay, as usual.

"Yes we can, how ever we should grab some cake and drinks, cause this is worth celebrating!"

I sensed it a second before it would have gotten passed my guard, I caught it and readied my response, the girls were back in step with me. "Hey don't forget that, and the others, have her clean all these blades up."

He said that as he walked away, wave above his head, like he hadn't just set off all three of us.

I knew it was one final test to see if I following my own rules.

Instead of calling it out, I tossed the knife to Kay and nodded my head, We always cleaned up her knives, we may be stable money wise, but good knives weren't cheap.