"Failed?! What do you mean you failed?!" Mako exclaimed incredulously, rubbing his temples in irritation. Bright blue hues glared at the crimson haired youth sitting across from him, frustration clear as day upon his face. "How the hell does someone with your ability fail?! It doesn't make any sense?!"

Jak rubbed the back of his head, a nervous smile on his face as he laughed softly. "It wasn't like I didn't try. I gave it my all, but during the last exam I was knocked unconscious and, when I came to, I was in the medical ward of the WGC being told I had failed the final trial. Since I failed the first trial and passed the second one, I needed to gain the approval of the final examiner in order to finally become an adventurer. However, it seems I didn't have what the guy was looking for."

"Jak. EXPLAIN FURTHER!!" Mako emphasized his words, leaning across the table and over the plate of food that was in front of him. "I want every last detail out of you. From start to finish.'

"Boys, boys, relax." A buff, neatly dressed man in his late twenties to early thirties walked into the room, two more plates of food clutched in his hands. "I'm sure Jak has a reasonable explanation for why he failed. I highly doubt that after all his training, he would have failed the trials without a proper reason for doing so. So let's just sit back and eat our dinner like civilized people. Sound good?"

Mako let out a small sigh as he leaned back into his chair, a reluctant look on his face. "Very well. I'll hear you out while we eat. Will that do, Uncle Hadok?"

Hadok Shimoa gave a small nod as he set down one of the plates in front of Jak before taking a seat with the last plate, situating it in front of himself. Once the two youths on either side of him had completely quieted down, he gave a nod to the redhead, signaling for him to start. "Take it from the top Jak. Fill in the blanks for us."

Jak nodded in response before diving into the story of his own trials, beginning from where he had first made contact with the elven woman named Akino and continuing until he had woken up about six hours ago. The hardest part for him was when he had first regained consciousness, so he was a little slow on that part as he recalled as much as he could manage.

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6 Hours Ago

WGC Medical Ward

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"My apologies Jak Yanda but you have failed the third trial."

That was the first thing Jak heard when he came to. Groggy and disoriented with a head full of slush, Jak couldn't even muster up enough strength to answer the words directed at him as he stared at the ceiling. His body felt heavy, as if a mountain were pressing on his chest, preventing him from so much as twitching. Every breath felt like a huge chore and keeping his eyes open for any significant amount of time seemed like an almost impossible accomplishment, but he persisted as the young redhead fought to keep his head above the figurative pool of water.

"Move out of the way," Jak heard someone say, the sound of rapid footsteps getting louder and louder. "You useless pig!!"

"What did you just call me you useless broad?" An angry voice replied, one that Jak managed to identify as Ceon, the white haired man having had a distinctive, nasally tone of voice. "Know your fuckin pla---- OOF!!"

"Shut the hell up with ya crap you asshat." A female voice interrupted, one followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor. Jak barely recognized the woman as Flora, the one who had gave him a pat on the head before the second test. "You're lucky I dont break your balls for the way you talked to Akie, you fuckin cunt. The WGC may not do something to ya, but I sure as hell will! Screw professionalism!! Be here when I leave and I'll shove my foot up your anus!!"

Jak didnt hear any more from Ceon as he briefly faded in and out of consciousness, his head momentarily dipping below the water. He could hear someone talking but he failed to make out what it was until he finally resurfaced and he was able to breathe freely once again.

"Do you agree to those terms?" was the question he was thrown the second he was cognizant. "If you cant speak then just give a nod."

Without even knowing what was happening, Jak nodded his head, a small up and down movement that took every last bit of strength he could muster. Just that little action sapped the little life Jak had as he began to fade once again, his eyelids getting heavy.

And then something went was thrown against his face, something that almost immediately snapped him awake.

Little by little, the heaviness began to dissipate and the cloudy feeling in his head started to clear up, allowing the youth finally understand what was going on. Blinking rapidly, he was finally able to use his senses effectively without it being a massive chore. He felt reinvigorated, as if he had just woken up from a long nap and was on the verge of prepping for the days training session.

"Welcome back from near death Jak Yanda," Flora said proudly as she walked over, away from Ceon's collapsed body. "Had us worried for minute there. We thought you were a goner. Good thing you lasted as long as you did."

Jak pushed himself into a sitting position, surveying the area around him, slightly confused on what was happening. He was slightly aware that his condition had been pretty bad, but the blonde receptionist had made it seem almost fatal and it perplexed him. The last thing he had remembered was being blasted backwards followed by a wave of pain, then instant darkness.

"If you're confused then allow us to clear things up for you" Akino pushed her glasses up her nose, capturing Jaks attention and letting him know that she was there despite her being the closest one to him. "After showing abilities surpassing the norm, examiner Ceon Mapel decided to remove his limiter in the most dangerous way possible, using the Emergency Removal. The limiter shut down and fell off, allowing all of the Ex-Rift Hunters testrained strength and magic to come rushing back. Having been compressed, most of the magic blew outwards and exploded his surroundings, hitting you, the examinee, and sending you into a brick wall and into a fatal coma."

"In order to restore you to full health we had to use something we normally wouldn't be allowed to use. However, the WGC won't blame us too much once they know what happened, with evidence backing it up." Flora smiled as she held up a small, clear vial framed in gold and emeralds. "Although you may be asked to compensate them for their loss. So.....theres that."

Jak was finally able to wrap his head around what they were getting at. In order to save him, a newbie on the brink of death, the receptionists had gone above the call of duty and used a healing potion on him, returning him to normal. What he had heard before was them stating the situation and the conditions for using the vial whether he could hear them or not, most likely using it on him even if he hadn't been awake.

"So...how much do I owe you guys?" Jak asked as he threw his legs over the side of the infirmary bed. "a few hundred thousand?"

"Well, considering that the potion itself is of the highest known quality, what's known as a High Elixir," Flora looked up at the ceiling, doing some quick mental math. "You now owe the WGC around 8.7 million gold coins or 8,700 platinum coins. It's really up to you.

---------------------------------

"Wait, wait, wait," Hadok interrupted, halting midbite, fork full of steak hovering near his mouth. "You're telling me that you're now in debt 8.7 million gold??

"Yeah," Jak said, his voice slightly smaller then before, refusing to look Hadok in the eyes.

"And this guy, the one named Ceon Mapel, your examiner," Hadok put his fork down, hand stroking his short beard. "Hes the one that put you into a coma in the first place?"

"Yeah?" Jak now had no idea where the older gentleman was going with it.

Hadok nodded, light blue eyes now lost in thought, indicating that he was no longer listening to either Mako or Jak.

"Okay, then what happened," Mako prompted, urging Jak to finish the story. "Surely there has to be more then that."

"Well, I guess there WAS the part where Ceon got his privates kicked in by Flora," Jak shoved a piece of bread into his mouth as he reminisced about that particular scene and the cries of Ceon as he fell over clutching the area between his legs. After chewing and swallowing his food, the youth shook his head. "But you dont need to hear about that."

Mako didn't even bother to question Jak as he turned to look at Hadok, of whom was still lost in thought. "Uncle Hadok, you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just wondering what color body bag I should use for this Ceon guy. I also want to pick out a nice coffin for him." Hadok grabbed his fork once again, focusing on his food as he shoved the peace of steak into his mouth. "Its the least I can do after throwing his ass to the rapey goblins in one the dungeons. I need him to feel at LEAST 8.7 million points of pure agony."

The room fell into silence, the only sound being the clinking of Hadoks metal fork against the plate as he calmly ate his food. Jak and Mako didnt even touch their food for a bit, just glancing back and forth from Hadok to each other, clearly disturbed by what the man had just said. After a minute of doing nothing, the two finally began to eat their food again which consisted of steak, bread, and mashed potatoes, Jaks favorite meal and one that had been prepared for the redhead in celebration for him passing. Of course, despite the minor detail of not actually becoming an adventurer, Jak still enjoyed the meal.

"So, what are your plans now Jak?" Mako asked after swallowing some mashed potatoes. "Failed and in debt. Do you want me to help you out? I can put a good word in with my fa-"

"I think I'll go and visit home for a while," Jak interrupted, purposefully cutting Mako off. "I haven't seen my folks in a while and I'm sure they're getting lonely."

The blue haired youth opened his mouth to respond only to close it once again, the room falling silent as all three of them finished up their meal.