94 Secured West - Apprentice Recruitmen (2/2)
It was time to select some few assistants to help him with some daily crafts. He plans to teach them the basics and whether he finds someone worth passing his skills to, would have to wait in the future.
”My friends call me Old John and a some of you would be able to do that soon. I come from a Blacksmithing family that has a long heritage for metalsmithing and crafting, whether they are for filming or does have actual purposes, from kitchen knives to long swords, our family have made them. Today, I would select five individuals who would become my apprentice and learn the craft. There will be only two exams to test whether you have what it takes. The first test is to stand on your spot for an hour. The second test would be harder, so good luck to everyone and I hope that some would actually succeed.”
Old John stepped back to hide from the scorching sun. He produced a chair and set up a table under the shade of a tree. He placed refreshments on top of the table and leisurely drank some as he watched his potential apprentices bathe with the sun. The masked men, who the residents refer to as saviors, surrounded the crowd from every corner, watching their every move.
It wasn't even a minute and Old John could already hear the whispers from the crowd. Dissatisfaction. Disappointments. Those who were in the middle even tried sitting down while hidden. All of those people were sorted out and were forcefully removed from the examination by the masked men. Those who chatted, those who looked around; they were all disqualified. They argued that they didn't do anything wrong and tried to fought back but was overpowered. They tried begging but was unhesitatingly tossed out. Afterwards, the masked men returned to their posts and continued watching the trainees like hawks looking for prey.
The scene was a humorous sight to behold for those who were observing from a distance, but for those taking the exam, it was literal hell. They felt their hearts beat fast as they felt the gaze of those masked men. Sweat formed on their backs and foreheads which increased the humid feeling inside them.
Thirty minutes in and a large number of examinees was already gone from the crowd. Most of them couldn't take the scorching rays of the sun and backed out. Those who failed dared not to cause trouble after the first angry loser that happened earlier. An angry adult thought this was unfair since he was already old and could have heart attack or stroke at any moment. He charged towards Old John, but before he could reach him, he was already encircled by armed masked men. The man was tossed out after some beating and the examination continued.
After an hour, there were six remaining examinees standing on the scorching sun. There were two middle aged man, two adult men, one adult woman and one teenager.
Old John stood up and said, ”Congratulations for passing the first round. I didn't think that there would be this many who would actually persevere until the end. You see, people don't like hardships. They just like to receive while doing nothing. Like what I've said on the ads, I will only test your perseverance. But since we have six people here, we still have to go to the second part of the exam. Just kidding, there's actually no second exam. You can all relax now. I prepared some drinks for you, so replenish yourselves.”
Just as Old John finished his speech, two out of the six examinees fell down. It was the woman and the teenager.
Old John laughed. ”Well, look at that. Some where already at their limits eh.”
He told the masked men to bring the two to Sheila, then congratulated the remaining four. He told them to pack their things since they would live with him from now on. That came as a shock since it wasn't written on the advertisement, but they still agreed. All of them survived alone that's why they were willing to risk it all for this apprenticeship.
After an hour, they met on one of the abandoned houses near Black Haven. The six stood in front of Old John revering him.
”What I'm teaching you today are top secrets of Black Haven. And so you have to sign a contract that will stop you from spreading any of this information. It's also okay not to sign the contract, but your apprenticeship would be revoked.” Old John said as he looked at each one of them. Beside him, a man in formal attire stepped forward and gave a piece of paper to the six in front of them.
”Are there any questions?”
”None.”