Time flowed onward at a steady, relaxing pace. Despite the major events on the horizon, I somehow managed to spend my days peacefully going to school, taking care of Mila, training with my friends, and checking in with the unofficial Dragonheart Foundation research team. Before I knew it, an entire month had blown by without incident.
But now all that would change. I’m positive I got lucky, and I will be unbelievably busy for a long time now. First on the docket is finishing these tests…
Professor Garrison adjusted his glasses and peered up at me. “I’m starting to wonder what is the point of having you take any test, Kaladin. Should I just give you a passing score for everything in the future to save us time?”
“If Headmaster Taurus allowed that, I wouldn’t particularly mind,” I said half-jokingly.
Professor Garrison sighed with a grin as he put down his ink pen. “Only if…only if.”
“Are you ready to help officiate the matches today?” I asked.
Professor Garrison ran a hand through his hair and nodded. “I am. At least that will be fun, but sadly I have to take over War God’s Vasquez’s matches as well.”
“Did he shirk his duties or something?” I questioned as I grabbed my papers to send them into my ring.
“No, he had to bow out. I think he is having another child soon,” Professor Garrison commented back. “Are you really not going to be here today, Kaladin? I heard you wouldn’t even be observing.”
“Sadly, I don’t have time. I have an important summon today,” I told him.
Professor Garrison raised his eyebrows at me. “A summons? From the king and queen? It must be rough being the vice president.”
I chuckled. “It has nothing to do with work, surprisingly. It’s from the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“The guild, huh? What do they want from you? Don’t tell me they are going to make you do something ridiculous, like be the face of the guild or something,” he asked.
“I wish I knew. But if it’s something that outrageous, I plan on declining. The last thing I need is for the Adventurer's Guild to be breathing down my neck every day, all day, just because I gained a little fame,” I said as I stood in the doorway.
“Well, I wish you luck, Kaladin. Don’t get sucked into their schemes and agree to something you will regret,” the professor warned me.
“That’s the plan. Have a nice day, and good luck on the matches, Professor,” I said as I waved him goodbye.
The professor bid me farewell, but I didn’t even get to walk out the door until Cerila and Sylvia both stopped me. They looked at me expectantly, and I just handed them my papers from my Spatial Ring.
Sylvia snatched it immediately with a sour expression not directed at me but at the paper. “How is this even fair…I study twice as much as you, but I’m still scoring way below you.”
Cerila looked over her shoulder, and although she didn’t read Sylvia’s lips, she still looked somewhat defeated as well. But, honestly, there wasn’t much point in getting bent out of shape over these tests, let alone comparing themselves to me. For me, this kind of basic, fundamental knowledge was ingrained in me from my previous life.
But for them, these kinds of tests should be challenging, considering they are in the number one class in a top-of-the-line university. Not to mention that they don’t have an extra life worth of knowledge to use. Frankly, Sylvia and Cerila are doing great in their respective classes and their schoolwork.
Cerila nodded meekly while Sylvia watched me intently and mouthed out the words as I signed. Her Sign Language has come a long way these last few months. I wouldn’t say she was fluent, but she had the basics down for sure.
You know, I wonder why she is so hell-bent on learning Sign Language. I’ll have to ask her later.
Both of them just stood there looking at me expectantly again. I wondered only for a moment at what they must have been concerned about. Then, I just smiled at them.
“There’s no need to worry. I’m going to an official public place. Even if you came, you two wouldn’t be allowed to accompany me to the meeting. Plus, you have some matches to attend to, right?” I told them.
Both of them pouted at me, and Sylvia pointed a slim, pale finger at me. “The last time you said that, you nearly got in a fight with an entire clan of powerful people!”
That is…true. Very true.
“I think this time will be different. It should be more official than my last gathering,” I said in my defense.
Sylvia squeezed her hand tightly, enough to turn it red. “You are…really testing me today, Kaladin. Because it wasn’t long ago that you asked me to trust you as you went somewhere, and you ended up wiping out an entire building full of people and got in a life-or-death fight with no mana.”
Cerila’s jaw dropped as she followed along with Syliva’s complaint. She looked at me with questioning eyes, and I had to nod at least a little. What Sylvia said was true. I couldn’t exactly deny that.
I also didn’t go into great detail about what happened before I saved the princesses. Oops.
Sylvia let out a deep, annoyed sigh. “This is your last chance. I swear if something happens. I will never let you leave alone again. Promise me that you accept that.”
“Well, I think that’s a bit excessive I—”
Sylvia glared intently at me. “You know full well what I mean, Kaladin. You are always going off alone and getting hurt or putting yourself in danger. We just want you to be safe.”
I scratched the back of my head. “Yeah… I’m sorry. It’s not like I’m trying to do dangerous things. But you are right. I guess I never looked at it that way,” I admitted.
Famous, huh? In my previous life, I think I was technically famous as well. But that fame never meant anything to me. It also never mattered in the grand scheme of things. I spent my days constantly on a battlefield. Everyone there was a target to be eliminated. But here, in a city?
I suppose I can’t be sure who's on my side or not. Anyone can just randomly come up and try to kill me because I'm now the Dragonslayer. Not that I’m worried about a bunch of civilians, but even so… I’m making my family worried about something that I can't easily fix.
“I understand. I’ll ask if Grandpa can watch Mila, and I’ll take my mother or father with me. How does that sound, you two? And I promise to stay out of trouble.”
Cerila smiled and nodded while Sylvia gave me a soft smile. “See, a compromise is much better, right? I’ll be able to fight my best knowing you are with your parents.”
Now… hopefully, my parents aren’t busy.
—
“So, this is the new main branch building, huh? It’s amazing compared to the old one,” Dad murmured as he looked up at the massive dome-shaped building and dodged an incoming person.
The entryway was ginormous enough to make the fifty or so armored adventurers and staff moving about look insignificant in comparison. The building was made from a brilliant white stone that wasn’t marble or the usual gray and black marble used in Luminar. With all the lime green coloring, it made everything seem so bright with the natural light seeping in from the top.
“Did you frequent the old one? What was it like?” I asked.
Dad chuckled as he admired a lime green tapestry that was hanging from the ceiling. It was almost two stories tall in length and had tiny bits of silver embedded. “When I was still fighting, occasionally, I would be tasked with turning in monsters we had slayed on the battlefield for a bounty or to sell their expensive parts. Back then, this place was a glorified wooden shack with a ton of either sweating or freezing cold people working in it. They must have rebuilt it after the war.”
“Probably after the king invaded the city,” I added.
“Probably,” Dad agreed.
“Dad, do you think there are more adventurers now than there were thirty years ago?” I asked.
Dad scanned the room with a thoughtful look. “I believe so…even in Amoth, the number of adventurers surprised me. Maybe because the war ended, people in that line of work decided to use their skills to start hunting monsters. Of course, anyone who wanted to be a mercenary was here or returned to Amoth to fight up north in the Vampire Lands. Or join in the squabbles against the city-states, but I heard those never paid well.”
“On Amoth, did you ever hear about an increase in monster activity?”
Dad nodded and rubbed his chin. “I did in a few places, yeah. But people only ever notice when monsters are gone or active, so it’s hard to say whether there is a drastic increase. But maybe monsters are on the rise if the guild can support this many adventurers now. Of course, the money to build a fancy building this big has to come from somewhere.”
“I see…it appears we have been spotted as well,” I mumbled.
A Human woman wearing a lime green uniform with short brown hair walked up to us, her heels clacking against the polished stone floors. “Good afternoon, Sir Shadowheart,” she said with a short bow. “I have prepared a room just for you. But, unfortunately, the council is not ready to see you yet.”
“That’s fine. I was half expecting that anyway,” I said.
She eyed my father, but her professional smile remained. Dad sensing where that was going, just shrugged and gave me a pat on the shoulder. “I’ll stick around the lobby until you're done. You know how to contact me, right?”
“Make a mess of things?” I whispered in Elvish and quiet enough that only an Elf could hear.
Dad grinned and gave me a wave as he walked into the crowd of people. “Shall we go?” I asked the staff member.
—
There was a quick identification check, and I had to complete some random paperwork. All that only took a few minutes, and the employee quickly ushered me into the back halls of the guild building. She led me into a small room that had a couch as well as some chairs.
“Please do wait here until we come and retrieve you. In the meantime, would you care for something to eat or drink, Sir Shadowheart?” she asked.
“I’ll be fine. No need to bring me anything,” I told her.
I learned that lesson a long time ago.
I sat in a chair as the employee quickly left the room to do whatever it was she was doing beforehand. I took in the simple gray wood room and let out a deep sigh.
“It’s almost nice that I’m being treated as a normal person,” I said quietly to myself.
Well, I don’t think this is exactly normal, but it is different.
Ever since Qylrenth let me kill him, people who are not close to me have been waiting on me hand and foot. At first, I didn’t mind the respect I was shown, but after a while, it became tedious. When everyone walked on eggshells when they were around you, calling you sir or lord, it just became bothersome.
I didn’t care much for this newfound status. It was something I never wanted, and it merely fell on my lap. If I could have it my way, I would like to not have to deal with any of it. But that was a foolish thought.
I wouldn’t abuse my new standing or just toss it away for no reason. Even I understood the position I was in and the benefits of it. But, more importantly, there was a lot more at stake now. It wasn’t just me anymore. I couldn’t do what I wanted on a whim. I had people I needed to look after and think about.
And if I went around causing problems, regardless of the rhyme, reason, or my intentions, it would reflect negatively on me, not that I would care. But I’m sure it hurt my friends and family, or someone would use it to do just that. And that was something I would like to avoid at all costs.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Which is why this meeting is such a hassle. Honestly, what do they want with me?
Knock.
Knock.
“That was faster than anticipated,” I muttered. “Come in.”
The door opened, and I was expecting the woman from before or another employee, yet I found myself looking at a familiar face. He stood in the doorway for a long time with his buzz cut hair and lime green and white suit, just staring right at me. I watched his brown eyes slowly look me over, taking in my ears and general appearance as his face remained blank.
“It’s been a while, Dominick. I suppose that decade came faster.” I said with a smile.
“Voker Winterheart…or should I be calling you Kaladin now? Or is it Sir Dragonslayer?” he asked.
“Kaladin will do just fine. I would like to think we are close enough to at least call ourselves by our names and not our titles, right, Guildmaster?” I said with a grin.
Dominick was the guild master of Anderfield, the very place where I started my adventuring career. Dominick was also the one who signed me up and read me the rules for the very first time. It felt just like yesterday he was there.
He was also promoted to the guild master of Nactus, the fortress city that was in between Sandervile and Whieland. He gave me an excellent deal on selling the Wyrm corpse for owing him a favor. He also negotiated for my rank up to Ruby and has generally been a very helpful person.
Dominick sighed and rubbed his cheek. “It really is you, isn’t it? I have so many questions it’s making my stomach hurt.”
“I’m sure you do. But what brings you to Luminar? Don’t tell me you got promoted again?” I asked.
Dominick glared at me with an intensity that surprised me. “I’d hardly call my reprimand a promotion. I’m here because of you,” he said pointedly.
Ah…I think I understand why he is frustrated.
“You know that I am really sorry about that…I had to lie on that report for Sylvia's and my safety. I never imagined you would go that far,” I said as I scratched the back of my head.
Domnick strode into the room and stood right in front of me. He raised his hand slightly. “May I?”
“…I suppose I deserve it.”
Slap.
Dominick nodded in satisfaction as he lightly slapped me across the face. “You know I spent a lot of money and time writing that guide, getting it certified, professionally edited, and distributed across the guilds. It took me many sleepless nights to gather people to cooperate and support me. So imagine my frustration when I received a letter from the source telling me it was all fabricated, and I should consider taking it down for safety reasons.”
“I understand your frustration…I am sorry about it, really. Unfortunately, I had my circumstances, and I chose myself and Sylvia over others,” I admitted honestly.
Dominick sighed and sat across from me. He rested his head in the palm of his hand. “I do see your point, Kaladin. If I were in your place, I would have done the same. Although my luck finally ran out and my career took its first black mark, it’s nothing I can’t recover from. And I do appreciate you having the courage to warn me. Thankfully nobody perished trying to fight a Wyrm that way.”
“That is good to hear.”
…
The silence dragged on between us as Dominick rubbed the bridge of his nose. He seemed to have aged significantly since the last time I saw him. He had a bit of gray in his stubble and at the top of his head. I imagined that I cost him his fair share of grief.
“So…what did the guild say to you?” I asked.
“I got a scolding for my Wyrm hunting guide fiasco and a pay cut. Which was to be expected, and to be honest, I got off quite easily considering I could have caused the deaths of many people,” he said with a shrug. “They also wanted a full, honest report on you. Naturally, I told them everything I knew as I felt there wasn’t much to hide. Of course, I left out the details that were…private. Just because you pissed on my trust this time didn’t mean I intended to return the favor. Staying honest and true to my adventurers has always been my creed.”
“Thank you for that,” I told him earnestly.
“Yes…it wasn’t a problem,” Dominick said with a groan. He narrowed his eyes on me. “But the requirements of my personal favor have been lightened, don’t you agree, Kaladin?”
I nodded half-heartedly. “Yes…I will consider more things as long as it does not negatively affect my family or friends. However, I don’t speak for Sylvia. She had nothing to do with that.”
Dominick nodded slowly. “That is agreeable. None of this was Miss Sylvia’s fault. Although I do believe she is somewhat at fault for being complicit in your lies.”
“You can take that up with her.”
A small bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he quickly wiped it off. “I would rather not…”
Good choice.
Knock. Knock.
“Sir Shadowheart? The council will see you now,” a voice called from the other side of the door.
I stood up and extended a hand to Dominick. “Will I see you again?”
“Most likely not today. I plan on returning back to Nactus and my job as soon as possible,” he said as he took my hand and stood up to shake it.
“It’s good to see that you are well, Dominick. We should catch up and see each other again soon,” I told him.
Dominick chuckled and gave me a wry smile. “I think you are bad for my heart, Kaladin. But I will admit, hearing about your life’s story would make for an interesting evening. Do you have a favorite drink, perhaps? We can enjoy it over a nice conversation.”
“That would be nice. But I’m afraid I only drink Stone Honey Mead.”
Dominick paled the moment I mentioned the name of the drink. “You have gained some…expensive tastes since being in a capital city and becoming a knight, I see. Would just ale do? Or maybe a nice Tel’an’duth wine?”
“No, I’m not much of a fan of alcohol,” I told him with a smile.
Dominick chuckled awkwardly and shook his head. “Nothing short of the best for the Dragonslayer, huh?” He released my hand and nodded. “Stay safe, Kaladin. The world is becoming a more dangerous place, it feels like.”
You don’t have to tell me twice.
—
The employee led me to the very back of the building. The small back room hallways disappeared, and I was now walking down a much larger and grander hallway that matched the aesthetics of the lobby. The ceilings were painted with epic battles depicting man versus monsters. All of them were adventurers from all walks of life, it seemed.
Some had Humans ganging up on a pack of what looked to be Orcs. Others were Elves hunting dangerous beasts in the jungles or Dwarves fighting a rock-looking monster in the caves. The murals were gorgeous, and the additional items along the walkways, such as rare monster parts in glass boxes or the furs of other beasts.
Also, despite the grand hallway, it was devoid of people. There wasn’t a single soul back here beside the employee guiding me and myself. No adventurers, guards, or even staff walked the hall. It was a massive departure from the humble guild buildings I frequented on my travels. Those were the kinds of places where people interacted merrily with each other at all times of the day, drinking and regaling tales of their latest quest or gossiping about this or that.
We stopped at a large set of gray wooden double doors, and the woman let out a small breath before pushing them open. The room opened up into a circular shape with another high-ceiling dome. But seven small booths were evenly set into the walls high up as if looking down at those who walked into the room. All of them were partitioned off by cloth or fabrics that made it nearly impossible to distinguish the shadowy figures residing behind them.
“Sir Shadowheart has arrived,” the woman announced, going into a deep bow.
“Thank you. You may leave us,” a bored voice from the right called out.
The woman wasted no time in retreating as if the various serious and intent gazes from behind the seven curtains threatened to impale her from the back. Once the doors were shut and the woman was gone, I could feel all the eyes turn to me. It wasn’t exactly pleasant being examined so many times in a single day. But I had gotten used to it, I suppose.
Seven people…huh? Does that represent the number of nations here on Illyrcium? There would be one for each of the three city-states, Luminar, Tel’an’duth, Krunbar, and even Syn’nari. It must be that. These must be the number one guild masters of this continent, representing each region. It seemed that The Vast Barrens didn’t get a representative, though.
“It’s an honor to be in the presence of the Dragonslayer and an accomplished adventurer,” a woman’s soft voice said from the left.
“I’m not sure who to address in this situation, considering you are all hiding your faces from me,” I said pointedly.
A voice chuckled from the right, I couldn’t see the man, but that was the most Dwarven chuckle I had heard in a long time. “As blunt as they say. You may address us all as the council. Consider us to be a single entity, Sir Shadowheart.”
Seems fishy…
“I’ll do just that then, Council.”
“Good, good…” the voice trailed off.
“I’m sure you have many questions about why we have summoned you here. But I would like to thank you for showing up today. We understand that you are a busy man,” the soft-spoken female voice from the left said.
“An answer to that first statement would be best. The guild and its employees have treated me well. I’m simply returning the favor for their sake,” I told them.
“For that foolish guild master, mhm?” a pointed female voice from the furthest right called out.
“Now, now, it’s never a good thing to belittle a man who is not present. Besides, Mr. Dominick is a young, talented, and well-respected guild master who simply made one mistake in his long career. He is also the man who brought Sir Shadowheart to our ranks, which I think outweighs that tiny negative,” a calm, elegant male voice said from the left.
This is annoying…I want to leave already. I always hated these types of events, and I avoided them like the plague in my previous life. I was thankful that I was always busy, so I could always decline. After all, the mission took priority.
“All of you are boring the man! Can we just get on with this?” the Dwarf voice called out from the right.
The angry woman on the right grumbled a few things, but I watched as her shadow sank into her chair. There were a few murmurs, but things settled down in an instant with a single slap of a bell.
“Now, we are here to appoint Kaladin Shaodwheart a new rank in our guild,” a bored-sounding voice said from the right. “We should just be honest with him. I heard that he would prefer that.”
This guy gets it. And a new rank? I figured as much.
“Kaladin Shadowheart, what would you say to become a Diamond adventurer?” the Dwarf voice on the right asked.
“That depends on a lot of—”
“What does it matter what he thinks? It’s our decision, not his,” an angry, nasally-sounding male voice interrupted me from the left.
Oh, brother.
“His input on the matter does have its merits. But making him angry won’t help us in any way,” the bored voice said with a long yawn.
“Exactly! The boy has a say as far I’m concerned,” the Dwarf bellowed.
“I believe you just want to give him the title regardless of the repercussions,” the elegant voice on the left said.
From there, both sides launched into a flurry. They yelled at each other for what felt like forever. As the conversations moved on, I got a general feel for what things were like here in the council.
The right side, undoubtedly, was made up of former adventurers. From the way they talked and articulated their arguments surrounding my feats as an adventurer, they sounded like they had experience on the field.
While the left side must have been made up of high-ranking and successful guild masters who had most likely not seen the field or very little of it. They talked more about costs, the social and political benefits, and the repercussions of naming someone a Diamond adventurer.
They also seemed to be entirely cut down the middle. On the right side, the Dwarf and bored-sounding man were in favor of naming me a Diamond adventurer, as was the soft-spoken woman on the left. On the other hand, the angry nasslay man and the elegant voice on the left were against giving me the title, as was the angry-sounding woman on the right.
“We should have just rescheduled this…” the soft-spoken woman said amongst the arguments.
Yes, we should have. This has been nothing short of a waste of time for everyone. I never imagined that despite having months to debate this, they had yet to come to a conclusion. It was borderline insulting. I should just say screw it and walk out.
Come to think of it…the person who could break the tie…the only person who hasn’t said a single word, is in the middle. They hadn’t even moved an inch since the start of this, and I barely sensed their presence in the room. Who are—
My thoughts emptied out, and I felt my heart leap in my chest. I immediately cut the flow of mana from my Dragon eye as a forbidding darkness far surpassing anything I had seen filled my vision, and I felt a cold chill run down my spine in response. Grandpa and even King Maxwell paled in comparison to the person behind the center veil. They were powerful beyond belief, and their soul was as pitch black as the tendrils surrounding Sylvia’s or the dark spots on mine.
I jumped back, anticipating a battle, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I felt the intense blood lust caple of silencing the entire room in an instant, worming its way into my skull. It was strong enough to even make the skilled adventures on the right groan out in pain. I even heard a body drop to the floor on the left.
I barely blinked, and time slowed to crawl as I felt the ground shake. A palpable disturbance in the air made my skin crawl as a spell core formed in the middle. In all my fifteen years of life on this planet, I had never felt a spell that dangerous before. It was on an entirely different level.
It…it’s almost like Sylvia’s ritual from when she killed the Wyrm, but twenty times worse.
The ground ruptured and split open, and an enormous jagged lance of earth shot out toward me. The spike was large enough to flatten a two-story house, and the edge sharp enough to cut steel. I put everything I had into defensive gravity magic and Plasma bolt. I felt that I needed to form both of those spell cores even to have an attempt to stop the spell.
Because if I failed in attacking and defending, I’d be dead.