(http://i.imgur.com/i6uR2SE.jpg)<br/><strong>Name:</strong>Aster Cross<br/><strong>Age:</strong>24<br/><strong>Gender:</strong>Male<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Durandville Town Square<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong><br/><strong>Extra:</strong><br/><br/><hr/><br/>The time was now... Slumped with his back to the bench and head hanging just over the rise behind it, the man known as Aster stared skyward with a bit of a daze. Time and time again those creatures came back to wreak untold amounts of chaos on the civilian population, and just as many times did the Monster Slayers stand in their way... However, today was different. The recruitment drive had swung around now, hoping to bolster the numbers they had lost days prior, evidently. Getting up from his seat, Aster stretched lightly, before stepping around the bench to reach into the fountain behind. splashing handfuls of water against his face to wake himself up, bring him back to the land where everyone else was.<br/><br/>"No time like the present, Aster." He spoke to himself, making his way to the Town Hall. Here, he could see many others present, some the recruiters and many others the hopeful new recruitees. Their first test was to be a physical one, but even he didn't know what to expect. This was all still new to him... But getting cold feet now wasn't going to do him any favors, nor would it be any kind of answer to give to those that had died. His hand went into his pocket, gripping a gold ring tightly. It was going to be his drive to see it through to the end... Whatever end awaited him. He took a deep breath, releasing the ring as he approached the recruiters.<br/><br/>=====<br/><br/>"You registering, son?" One of the older Hunters inquired, leading Aster to nod. "Alright... You probably know the drill by now. Name, age, occupation, and reason for joining. We've got alot of recruits today, so I hope you won't mind if time is a factor here." the man grunted, folding his arms. Aster could already tell this seemed like the kind of guy to be a hardass during training, grind you into the ground and then build you up to be something more. At this point, such an outcome didn't deter him.<br/><br/>"The name is Aster Cross, age twenty-four. Originally... I was unemployed, difficult to find work. I turned to street fighting and made a living off that... But I wouldn't be here today if I stuck to the same job. A friend of mine scouted me out and hired me as a Bouncer for one of the local clubs and i've been there ever since." He started, rubbing his cheek a bit. The mark was still there, still stinging from where his boss had hit him earlier that day. He'd been in a drunken, rambling stupor with no direction, and a guiding hand was all he needed... Unfortunately for him, his boss was fresh out of those, and so instead settled for a correcting fist. It seemed to have the desired effect all the same, so neither one complained... But now he was starting to wonder if the guy couldn't have held his punch just a little bit. "The boss gave me some time off, told me if I wanted to do something about the current state, that I should enlist for the Monster Slayers... So here I am." He finished, pocketing his hands. The older man nodded slowly, before shrugging.<br/><br/>"Alright, next up: Reason for joining." The man barked, wondering just what this one would have to say. There were plenty of reasons given today for joining, some similar but a few unique. Naturally, a good number that were joining did so because of lost loved ones, and the way Aster looked... He seemed no different.<br/><br/>"Keeping a promise, sir."<br/><br/>"... That's all?" the older hunter asked, quirking a brow, as Aster sighed.<br/><br/>"What were you expecting? Glory hunter? Thrillseeker? Stress relief?" Aster quipped. He knew the expected answer was 'Revenge', however... Almost everyone had come here today for that, but not everyone got their way. Sometimes people were too blinded by it to think or act rationally... These weren't the types the Monster Slayers were looking for. They wanted rational, controlled, tranquil fury, not blazing rage and promises of impending slaughter of their enemies. In that regard, Aster didn't know where he stood from one spectrum to the other, but he was damn sure serious about what he wanted to do. He'd promised her, and he'd promised his boss: He was going to make it into the Monster Slayers now... If not, he would try again the next time, and the next, until they relented and gave him acceptance one day. The older hunter seemed to be mulling the thought over in his mind, before he looked at another and nodded.<br/><br/>"Very well then, son. Next up, my favorite question: What role're you looking to choose if you make it into the Monster Slayers?"<br/><br/>This was an easy one to him. "Frontline, primarily. It wouldn't matter what weapon I had, close range or long, I want to make sure I hit them where it hurts most. Everyone else can fight at a distance if it suits them." He spoke up with little to no hesitation. The older man snorted at Aster's bravado, figuring he didn't need to be told there was a high death rate for their line of work. If anything, that response probably only helped the man solidify the notion that there was more to his reason for joining than the new recruit let on.<br/><br/>"Works for me... Now for the fun part. You're going to be fitted with weights on your legs! Your task is to make your way around the city through several checkpoints, and back here. That also means making your way up the stairs to the town gate and back down along the way." The man spoke, while workers attached the weights. Wow, they weren't kidding about this being physical... These things were<em>heavy</em>! Taking a tentative step, he realized he wouldn't be able to pull off even a jogging pace with this. He was going to have to walk the whole area of the town. "Don't worry, kid, we've got all day to be here. Let's see what you're capable of." The man finished, clapping Aster on the back as he sent him out on this fool's game. He was probably going to be here for the better part of the day, but damn it if it got him into the Monster Slayers... He would do this all night long until he was done.<br/><br/>=====<br/><br/>Somewhere along the way through town, he seemed to lose the sense that he could only walk at a snail's pace, and managed to speed up. Soon after THAT, however, his legs were screaming in pain from being overworked, far too use to never having to lift such heavy weights for long. He'd forgotten how much time passed, feeling somewhere around an hour and a half to maybe two hours... It could have been more or less. However, he'd made his way through each indicated checkpoint and told where to go next until he ultimately made it back to the Town Hall recruitment drive. His pace was almost as slow as he'd left the Town Hall, if not slower. The man was sitting down in a seat, cold drink in one hand and some sort-of snack in the other... It was almost like he was taunting Aster.<br/><br/>"Welcome back, kid! How'd it go?" The man asked with a smile, finishing his food before taking another sip, as the workers removed Aster's weights. He looked like he was in dire need of a cold shower now, just to cool off and relax.<br/><br/>"Ggh... Kh... T-thought it'd be... Harder...!" Aster wheezed between breaths, clearly trying to bullshit the older man. Of course there was nothing really to joke about given Aster was on the floor trying to catch his breath, but as he stood up, the older man came up to slug him in the stomach, knocking the collected wind out of him and sending him sprawling right back to the floor.<br/><br/>"You're a smartass, son... But you know what? We've got a saying back where i'm from: 'Better to be a smartass than a dumbass.'" The man spoke, before he crouched down and grabbed Aster's hand to shake. "You passed kid, though you could've done without the bragging at the end. Go drag yourself to a bench, get yourself some water, and relax. You'll get to meet the rest of your companions later tonight. How's that sound?" The man asked, as Aster lifted his head from the ground, eyes narrowed.<br/><br/>"... F-fuck you..."<br/><br/>"I think we're gonna get along just fine." The old man finished with a warm smile, as he let go of Aster's hand to give him time to pick himself up. For now, the male rolled over on the ground, looking up at the sky with the biggest grin on his face. Even with the odds stacked against him, he'd done it. Slowly, he rolled over again once he'd collected enough breath, pushing himself back to his knees and the finally his legs, before he shambled toward a bench to sit down on... Or so he thought, deciding to just collapse next to the bench while another girl sat upon it. The others who seemed to be present... He couldn't tell who'd passed, who'd failed, or who'd yet to take the test. One of them looked like they were giving a triumphant return... A woman, too. Somehow the physical exercise exam had not drained her as much as it did him. "Damn, i'd love to get a feel of those legs..." He groaned, partly in pain, as he relished in the small amount of shade offered by the bench.