(Asher)
Asher’s first day as a guild member began at the Sollunan bathhouse. The young warrior lathered diligently with soap, excited for his introductions at the blade guild and fieldwork at the archery guild. Once Asher had dried himself and dressed, he strode out of the bathhouse feeling refreshed and confident. His younger cousin Varis exited an adjacent bath simultaneously, and the Setrics quickly stared one another down.
“Hello, cousin,” Varis said, “could you also be heading to the Blade Guild?”
"Don't tell me; you're in my Blade Guild lessons, too?" Asher asked the younger Setric, who silently led the way with a playful grin.
Guild lessons were done in groups of five under a violet-ranked instructor. It must have been intentional that Asher and Varis were placed together, which told Asher one thing: the main branch was already interested in his arrival. Asher and Varis entered the Blade's Guild and entered their lesson room. Three students already occupied the room and greeted Asher with curt nods. However, their instructor was still nowhere to be seen.
“This is my cousin Bjorn Setric and my siblings, Nadia and Vladimir Setric,” Varis said.
"What an... interesting family reunion," Asher said. The Setric family was the most powerful family of knights in the capital, but Asher hadn’t prepared himself for a class of exclusively his cousins. He had a lot to prove from the start.
Bjorn was the tallest and most muscular of the group. He carried himself with brutish intensity. Strapped to his back was an immense sword that would have stood above Safreya. On his chest was a Yellow Blade badge, one rank above Varis. Bjorn sneered when the boys walked in, spitting in Asher's direction.
Nadia was the second highest ranked, carrying a Green Blade pin on her arm. Her darker skin showed her mixed ancestry. Berin Setric clearly had children from multiple mothers. She, Vladimir, and Varis were clearly different races. She carried twin scimitars, a weapon from her mother’s kingdom. If Asher were to guess, she looked a bit older than him and Kylie. Nadia kept a narrow, dagger-like gaze on Asher.
Finally, there was Vladimir Setric. The young man didn't flaunt his magic factor as Iliastyr did, but Asher could tell the instant he laid eyes on the young man: more magic was packed into that body than most dragons carried. Vladimir carried a black scythe with a spear on the tip that functioned as a blade and a polearm. On either side of his black armor were blue blade and blue lance pins. What made Asher most curious was Vladimir's blood red hair: a stark contrast to the usual blonde Setric locks.
“So, our exiled 'family' from Mazgrove finally crawled back to the capital,” Bjorn grunted.
“At least he has the frame of a warrior,” Nadia sneered, “but he’ll never be a Setric.”
Vladimir held a single finger up in the air. Nadia and Bjorn's lips pursed instantly as their eyes lowered to the floor. “Think before you speak, oafs. This boy is family," Vladimir said, turning to Asher with a gentle smile that exposed a fang-like set of elongated canines, "I've heard he's a good man and a fearsome warrior. I couldn't ask for anything else in a cousin."
Varis chuckled at his cousin and elder sister's misfortune. Vladimir offered a hand to Asher, inviting him in. Asher was bewildered. He'd come to the capital ready to fight every relative that crossed his path. No... There's no reason not to accept this hand, Asher thought. I was foolish to think such an expansive family wouldn't have a friend among them.
Asher shook hands with Vladimir. "Nice to meet you, Cousin Vladimir," he said.
"Call me Vlad," the young man replied. "That's what my friends call me."
"You can't be serious, Vladimir!" Bjorn yelled. "He isn't family. Great Grandfather-"
The bards occasionally put on plays with a horror theme for those who wanted a thrill. What happened next looked like it was precisely from one such play. Vladimir's head whipped around, his bloodshot eyes open wide, and his fang-like teeth bared themselves at Bjorn. Despite being a head shorter and far less muscular than Bjorn, Vladimir effortlessly lifted the armored titan into the air.
"Great grandfather is dead, you fucking clown," Vladimir whispered to Bjorn. "Should I tell Auntie Brynhyl to enroll you in the bard's college, Clown? Know this, when I'm the leader of this family, goodness will matter as much as strength. A good man doesn't banish his daughter for falling in love. Asher... should have grown up in the capital with us."
Vladimir dropped Bjorn on the floor and returned to a shocked Asher. "You know, Vlad, that wasn't very kind for someone who preaches kindness," Asher said with an awkward laugh.
"I preach goodness, not kindness. Don't think for a second that they're synonymous," Vladimir replied. "Oftentimes, a good person can't be kind."
So intense... Asher thought. So, this is what the strongest of the Setric's youngest generation looks like. I'm nowhere close. Before Asher had time to further converse with Vladimir, their instructor arrived. Asher had expected a violet blade, the mentor rank most students got. He should have known better. An intimidating man with dark blonde hair and a rugged beard emerged from the guild’s hallway, humming a tune to himself. A diamond badge was nestled into a black glove on the man’s right hand.
Berin Setric scratched his thick beard, lost in thought. “What was it that I was supposed to say... Ah, yes. Hello, nephew,” said Berin, reaching into his coat pocket. “I have something for you.”
Berin tossed an orange blade badge to a shocked Asher, who quickly fastened it to his leather armor. He'd never expected that the greatest swordsman in the kingdom would be his mentor. Before him was the man that Asher had dreamed of surpassing his entire life, and all he could do was stare blankly ahead at the seemingly unclimbable mountain between them.
“You’re skipping straight to orange rank because of your skill,” Berin said. “Congratulations. Typically we do introductions and a short lesson on the first day. You all know one another, so today’s lesson will be concise because I am a busy man: magic weapons. Magic weapons are reserved for those ranked Green and higher. A warrior isn’t truly a warrior until the day they’ve bonded with a signature magic weapon.
They’re created by expert crafters, using parts from animals, plants, and minerals with unique magical properties. A human’s magic factor and skill limit how much of their weapon they can draw. If a random child off the street grabbed Vladimir’s Umbrus, they’d utilize less than a percent of what he could. Questions?”
Asher shook his head, still bewildered by the whirlwind he'd been hit with. The embarrassed Bjorn declined to respond. Varis politely shook his head, allowing his father to continue his lesson.
“Very well,” Berin continued, “Daughter, Son, show our family your magic weapons.”
Family? Asher wondered. Berin Setric... sees me as family?
Nadia held her twin scimitars up for the three younger members of the class. “These are Lessus, the screaming scimitars. They’re made from a magic metal that emits powerful soundwaves when clanged together.”
The oldest and highest ranking of the class held his black scythe in the air for all to see. “This is Umbrus, the shadow scythe,” said Vladimir in a voice far too chipper for his weapon of choice. “It's made from a rare, ancient species of black elder dragon. The blade lets me control shadows.”
Vlad’s kind personality is so different from everything else about him, Asher shuddered. He’s terrifying.
“With hard work and the proper smith, you can bond with a magic weapon of your own when you’ve reached Blue rank,” Berin said. "I'm willing to let you go early today. We’ll begin proper training tomorrow. However, I’d like to speak to Asher. Alone.”
The other Setrics obediently left the room. All except for Vladimir, who stood patiently at Asher's side. Father and son exchanged glares, their silent communication swirling around Asher. Berin Setric sighed, realizing nothing would make his son walk away from his new family. The diamond blade faced away from Asher and Vladimir, his hands wrapped carefully behind his back. “First, I would like to say that it's impressive for you even to make it this far. My grandfather thought nobody from your grandmother's line would return to the capital. You seem to be a true warrior."
“It isn’t just me,” Asher said, “my younger sister as well.”
“I look forward to meeting her one day.” Berin hesitated for a moment. “What does the rest of your family do?”
“My mother is a merchant like my grandfather, my aunt joined her husband on his farm, and my brother wants to be a scholar,” Asher proudly declared, watching Berin’s fingers twitch with each new profession.
“Ah, I see… well, I look forward to meeting your sister,” Berin repeated through clenched teeth. "Perhaps my grandfather was only half wrong. You're free to go now, Asher."
Despite Asher’s frustration, he didn’t dare argue with the leader of his guild. He was nowhere near ready to challenge such a man. All he could do was bow and exit through the door like an extra in one of Iliastyr’s plays. To Asher's surprise, a comforting hand rested on his shoulder.
“Those professions are all important, too, old man,” said Vladimir. "Those people are still Setrics, no matter what you say."
Berin waved his son off, and Vladimir escorted Asher out the door. The young Varis waited for them both, archery equipment in hand. "If you’d be so kind as to escort my younger brother to the archer’s guild… I believe he’s in your class," Vladimir said with an embarrassed grin. "Don't worry. He'll behave. Won't you, Varis?"
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"Yes, sir," Varis said in a way that reminded Asher of his younger siblings back home.
Asher agreed and waved goodbye to Vladimir. As he and the young Varis ventured toward the archer’s guild, Vladimir waved goodbye one last time. Asher was excited for the weeks ahead with Vladimir. What he wasn’t thrilled about, however, were his continued interactions with the other Setrics. Varis was tame enough, but Nadia and Bjorn were going to drive Asher mad.
The boys didn't need to walk far to get from the Blade Guild to the Archer Guild; they were all within the confines of the warrior's college. The entrance to the Archer’s Guild headquarters led to one long, winding hallway. Jakob emerged from the first room to the right and ushered Varis and Asher to join him. Awaiting the group in the training room was Iliastyr, firing practice shots into a wooden target.
Iliastyr pulled an arrow from his quiver and hopped high into the air in an acrobatic backflip. While midair, Iliastyr fired his arrow directly into the bullseye before landing in a one-handed handstand.
“Do you see this pose?” Iliastyr asked mid-handstand. “This is my attention, extras pose. And this-” Iliastyr kicked off his shoes and tossed the bow between his toes. Still upside down, Iliastyr’s other foot picked up an arrow from the ground and fired it from the bow, splitting his previous arrow in the bullseye. “-Is my I’m the protagonist pose.”
“Alright, protagonist, get up,” said Kylie from the hallway. Accompanied by Safreya, Kylie entered the room with the others. “I found this sweetheart lost outside. Are we sure she’s a warrior?”
“She’s a scholar,” said Asher, pulling Safreya in for a hug, “but she wants to be able to defend herself on expeditions. I respect it.”
Safreya leaned into the hug, getting close enough to whisper in Asher’s ear: “The way you look at Kylie is a tad too obvious, big guy.” Safreya couldn’t help but giggle at Asher’s beet-colored face.
Jakob handed red arrow badges to Asher and Safreya, which both quickly attached to their leather armor. “Day one is usually for introductions, but we're getting field practice. So let's give Iliastyr and Kylie a chance to show off their magic weapons for the other three.”
Iliastyr and Kylie’s eyes opened wide with excitement. Iliastyr strode to the corner of the room and grabbed a black violin case before slinging it over his shoulder. Kylie’s fingers eagerly danced across a pair of circular sheaths at her hip. Asher hadn't seen Kylie's signature weapon before. She'd used several ranged weapons in Mazgrove, but she'd always been partial to chakrams. Based on the sheaths on her armor, she'd kept up that passion.
Jakob led his class outside the guild. As they passed the cobblestone streets into the tourist area, it took consistent effort from Asher to keep Safreya in line. Asher had grown up with twin younger siblings and all the animals on his uncle’s farm, but Safreya was the least focused creature he’d ever dealt with. She took every odd street vendor offering any old knickknack as a reason to venture from the group.
Somehow, with the herding abilities that Asher had developed as a farmhand and older brother, he could guide the squirming Safreya to the outer city. It was a reasonably quick journey to the capital's outskirts, but Asher enjoyed seeing the Sollunan city life along the way. Finally, they arrived at their destination: a tremendous stable filled with horses.
“Who here can ride a horse?” Jakob asked.
“I can-” Asher started.
“Those who can’t have to ride with someone who can.”
Asher’s head whipped over to Kylie, who had already saddled her horse. “I cannot,” Asher said with a sly grin.
“Wonderful,” Jakob said, “Asher, you can ride with Iliastyr, and Safreya can ride with Kylie.”
Asher’s face dropped into despair. Varis and Safreya, incessantly snickering, pat Asher’s back on their way to their horses. Not even a full day that I’m away from my pestering younger siblings, and the capital gifts me a fresh pair, Asher thought, shooing Varis and Safreya away from him.
His arms awkwardly wrapped about Iliastyr, Asher felt the familiar galloping of the horse beneath him. The group followed Jakob to a nearby area where rocky mountains met the forest, perfect for multiple types of target practice.
“Apologies, bunkmate. Seems your plan to wrap your arms around Kylie failed,” Iliastyr chuckled. “You’re stuck with me.”
Asher couldn’t deny that his plans had gone up in smoke. However, he hadn’t lost hope. There was still the ride back. “What’s your relationship with Kylie, Iliastyr?” Asher asked. He’d tried not to be jealous, but it was undeniable that the two were close.
“Kylie is one of my favorite supporting characters,” Iliastyr sighed, “no more, no less. Don’t worry. I won’t contest you for her lips or her hand.”
“Her hand?!” Asher laughed. “A bit early for that, don’t you think?”
Iliastyr shrugged. “Best to leave behind an early legacy in this line of work. Get it done before a molten razorback burns your genitals off.”
Asher’s eyes nearly burst out of his skull. Much to the prodigy's amusement, a violent fit of mixed coughing and laughter ensued. Asher had never expected such a crass comment from the refined Iliastyr. Before the boys could continue speaking on their affairs of the heart, a harrowing rumbling and a loud huffing sounded from the mountains overhead. “Speaking of such monsters…” Iliastyr said with a grimace.
Safreya immediately jumped into scholar mode, pulling a notebook from her bag and scribbling. “Based on the sound and the habitat above us… that has to be a mountain cyclops rhino.”
“What in the shit is a mountain cyclops rhino?!” Varis yelled while trying to ease his whinnying horse.
“Everyone, dismount before your horses panic even more,” Jakob commanded the students. “This will be a true practical lesson: Iliastyr, Kylie, show off to your juniors.”
Iliastyr and Kylie hopped forward between the underclassmen and the mountain range. In a blur, the black violin case on Iliastyr’s back had fallen to the floor, and in his arms was a violin and a multicolored bow. Just as Iliastyr placed his bow on the strings, a rhinoceros with one large eye beneath its horn charged into view. Its magic factor wasn't very high, but its sturdy hide and powerful muscles would still strike fear into most warriors.
“Do you see the blue, red, yellow, green, and brown horse hairs that make up that bow?” Jakob asked the new students. “They all belong to the five species of elemental unicorns. Depending on the tune…“ Iliastyr played a low, melancholic melody as boulders began to collapse from the mountain onto the cyclops rhino. “He can control water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning. With that bow, Iliastyr controls them all. It’s called Quinque, the five elements bow. Iliastyr even made it himself."
The boulders turned to mud, hardening around the rhino and locking it in place. Ilyaster's tune suddenly changed into a fast, high-pitched, staccato melody. Arrows of lightning began to spring from the strings themselves. With perfect accuracy, they pierced through the cyclops rhino’s heart. Crossing his legs and throwing his arms to the side, Iliastyr bowed to his audience. However, despite the extravagant gesture, the usual smug expression was wiped from Iliastyr's face. In its place was a downcast glare of regret and sadness.
“H-h…How?” Safreya stammered, falling to her knees. Asher couldn't blame her. He'd never seen such a display of magic in his life. “For Ilistyr to have the talent to build something so complex, the magic reserves to even use it, the bard skills to play the magic instrument... Is it even possible that a human like that exists?”
“They say it’s best to show and not tell,” Iliastyr said, “well, I showed. So, what can you tell?”
“I can tell that you’re a freak of nature,” Safreya said with a grin, wiping away a stray tear that had begun to form. "You really are amazing, Nii- I mean, Iliastyr."
“How kind of you say,” Iliastyr replied, “but I’m not the only freak of nature here. Kylie, get ready. That was the male; his partner should be here shortly.”
Sure enough, a female cyclops rhino emerged from the cliffside, charging fiercely toward the group. Varis flinched at the sight of the creature.
“Watch her, Asher,” said Iliastyr. "She's not the same girl that left Mazgrove two years ago."
After fitting her hands inside a pair of black gloves, Kylie reached into the sheaths at her hip. She pulled out two metal chakrams coated in red dragon scales. Both brilliantly spun around in Kylie’s hands. The longer they spun, the whirling chakrams changed from a light whistle to a dragon-like roar.
“Kylie’s magic weapon is Novalastica. The metal on her gloves and chakram handles are a material called ‘bungee magnets,’” Jakob explained, “they have an elastic magnetism that lets her throw them as far and as fast as she wants, but they’ll always return to her as long as she’s wearing the matching gloves.”
“Those are crimson dragon scales, right?” Safreya asked, “So the Chakrams will be very hot.”
Jakob laughed. He didn't want to patronize Safreya, but she’d clearly undersold just how powerful Kylie’s weapon was. “Normally, yes, they’d just be hot. But those… are elder dragon scales.”
The chakrams roared through the air with mind-boggling speed. A dazzling inferno burst from the dragon scales, so bright that the three new students had to shield their eyes from the flame. The chakrams, engulfed in an undying flame, instantly pierced through the cyclops rhino’s sturdy hide. The dragon scale blades severed the beast in half like a knife through butter.
Once the embers faded, the weapons returned to Kylie’s hands. “You should see her in a serious battle,” Iliastyr told Asher, “she wields those chakrams with such unbelievable skill that it looks like she’s dancing. That’s why they call her-”
“-Novadancer,” Kylie interjected, bowing in the same way that Iliastyr had earlier. "But honestly, it's too grandiose a title for someone who's only green rank. Someday I'll earn it, though. Also, uh, what do we do with the corpses?"
Asher, Kylie, Varis, and Safreya all looked to their group leader: Iliastyr. Jakob had sworn that he wouldn’t interfere unless the students were in danger, so Iliastyr’s job was to determine what they’d do with the cyclops rhinos.
Iliastyr knelt beside the cyclops rhinos and said a prayer. “Leave the bodies for scavengers to feast,” he whispered, stopping Kylie when she moved for the animal’s horn. “The horns contain no magic, and selling them would only encourage more poaching. When I created Quinque, I gave the unicorns food in exchange for the tail hair. If it isn’t to defend myself… I despise killing animals.”
Asher felt like he’d seen a new side of Iliastyr. The insufferable prodigy showed more empathy than anyone else for the fallen beasts. Iliastyr Dusk’s often overconfident face was filled with regret as the group hoped atop their horses. Jakob, so often critical of the boy, flashed a smile of pride at his pupil's humanity. The group, especially Iliastyr and Safreya, didn't feel up to more training after the encounter.
Jakob and his pupils hadn't reached the halfway point to the capital before Safreya's screeches halted the group. Kylie's horse let out a terrified whinny to match its passenger's wails. Even the calm and confident Kylie clasped her hand over her mouth, looking away in horror at the sight. The boys had been riding a few meters away and quickly rode over to see what was wrong. Iliastyr and Asher, much like Kylie, had to look away from the scene.
Another class from the archer's guild had been doing their practicals. However, Asher could tell from their bodies, or what was left of them, that something horrible had happened. Most of the six bodies had been eaten, leaving skeletons and scraps of clothing behind. The discarded badges were mostly red and orange, with their mentor's violet arrow badge stained crimson beside their bones.
"This is horrible..." Asher muttered. "What could have done this?"
"Cerberus wolves," the Safreya said, holding her nose. "Trust me, I can smell the magic. It couldn't be anything else."
"Cerberus wolves are certainly strong enough to take out a beginner troupe and a violet arrow, but they're supposed to like humans..." Jakob wondered. "How could this happen..."
Safreya began to stumble toward Iliastyr. "Iliu, I mean, Iliastyr, I'm not... feeling so good," she said, collapsing into Iliastyr's arms as her eyes closed. Asher didn't blame her; the poor girl had more magic sensitivity than anyone he'd ever met. It was hard for even an average human not to be overwhelmed by the magic of a cerberus wolf.
"Let's retreat for now," Jakob said. "I'll report this to the higher-ups. Between this and the rhino attack... Something is wrong with Solluna's forests."