Unsafe Working Conditions : A He Who Fights With Monsters 6+ Companion Story

Chapter 15 - An Enchanting Smile

 Henri followed the green skinned woman to a small room, inside was a table with a chair on either side. She gestured for him to take one chair while she moved to take the other. Her movements were impossibly lythe, combined with her appearance, she looked like a young sapling swaying in the wind.

"My name is Agatha Fleur. I will be administering your power screening and registration. Please state your full name." Agatha immediately got to business.

"Henri Babaineaux", he responded.

"Do you have any other titles you would like recorded?" she looked up at him and paused for a moment. She continued when he shook his head.

"Where are you from?" Before he could answer she continued, "Nevermind you are registered as a newly arrived Outworlder." She continued to scan the document that was before her, nodding to herself, "Special accommodations have been approved for you. You must have impressed someone pretty important."

Henri didn't know how to respond as he was too distracted by her appearance. While she looked to be some type of humanoid plant, she was an Essence user, and he could feel that she was in the middle tiers of iron rank.

"Since we don't need to collect personal data with your special status we can proceed to your power screening. Please place your hand on the table within the circle." Agatha moved the papers to the side revealing an elaborate circle that was the size of a dinner platter. In the center was an empty area about the size of a coaster.

As soon as Henri rested his hand in the circle he felt a shiver travel over his entire body. From three different elaborate designs in the circle arose three orbs. One was so black that it did not reflect the light in the room, another was less an orb than a hole in reality, the final looked like a localized heat mirage, but somehow different. From each, a wisp extended, uniting above his hand to form a fourth sphere that combined aspects of each to make it look like a hungry hole in space, despite it being a visualization he could almost hear the sound of the wind as it consumed the very fabric of reality.

Agatha placed a single finger on the table and the orbs froze, then their whole projection shrunk until it was no bigger than a marble. "Darkness, Void, Wind, and Vortex. I have the combination listed here as a ranged damage dealer with a focus on stealth and reconnaissance. Not quite assassination, but maintaining the ability to support team members, it is a good combination."

She took the marble in between two of her fingers and placed it into a socket at the top corner of the folder containing the documents that she was filling out. "Please share with me a general overview of your abilities and gifts so that I can add them to your file. The more details you can give me the more appropriate the missions you will get assigned will be. I would like to mention, this part is voluntary, and there are no penalties to refusing."

Henri responded, "I will share with you my Essences and my current abilities if you need it but I will not go into depth on their uses only what they can do. I still don't know you or your organization well enough to share everything," with what he thought was an enchanting smile, little did he know he looked like a badger with indigestion trying to determine what end the pain was going to exit.

Agatha nodded and began with the questions, "Please state your Essence first, then any abilities that are associated with them before moving on to the next Essence."

Henri began, "I have the Dark Essence, from it I have two abilities, one allows me to write on things with shadow, the other is a summon ability that creates a spear that can be used for combat." He paused and waited for her to catch up.

"Would you care to elaborate on either of the abilities you mentioned, or share which attribute your Dark Essence has bonded to?" Agatha looked up and seeing the look on Henri's face nodded. "Then let us continue to the next Essence."