###
Zayne opened his eyes to see the applause from the man who put him under this mental attack. “Congratulations.” He smiled, “Here.”
He gave Zayne a golden card. It gleamed pastel under the smoldering sun. “What is this?”
“A special card, given for those I deemed had… excelled on this test.” He added, “It’ll count differently than the green ones, courtesy of your dearest adventurer.” The blond extended his hand, winking, “You’re the only one who passed without a single cry for help. And once you survived such an attack with flying colors, you’ll grow a natural resistance against it in the future.”
“Thanks, but I don’t feel great about it.” Zayne rebutted, accepting his hand, “I…”
The blond kept a finger on his lips. “Selfishness and altruism. Both aspects existed within a person. Do not think any lesser of yourself for fighting for a life you craved for.” He smiled. “Trust me, to sit in the pits of regret and anguish won’t make your closest friends or family happy either.”
“Did you-“ He saw the contents of his dreams… That’s problematic. “Wait…”
“No. Do not worry, I don’t pride myself in looking into the past of others.” The blond responded with a dismissing wave, “Your emotions rebounded to me. Mental attacks are supremely effective, but only the right mental attack will work. Based on the strength of your gaze… I assumed you’d experienced a lot, and enough to feel a sense of longing for your past; the what-ifs and what-nots. Some will say.” He winked. “Now, leave. Your friends are waiting. Again, congratulations are in order. And…”
“Good luck.”
Sunlight blared the empty field behind the stages where the hall master and the guild dispatches awaited, wreathing him and the others in a circle of judging, scrutinizing eyes. Wyne did her best to keep her gaze up, yet her body had lost enough energy for her to limp. The last few tests didn’t go so well for her. Zayne offered to help her stand, a deed she thought unnecessary, yet she gracefully accepted upon stumbling on a jutting brick.
Heat smelted them as more and more people gathered, clasping their cards, mumbling, counting, cursing, and elating over their failures or accomplishments.
“I see that you have completed the tests.” Gylenhal roared, “Now… I congratulate those who are present here. You have done… admirably. However, I am sure a few of you wondered about the other colored card.” The large man drew a golden card out of his sleeves, brandishing its golden glow to the awestruck masses, “This… is a sign of excellence. Those who owned such a card, please, make your way here.” Gylenhal gestured to the empty space ahead of him.
“Zayne…” Wyne whispered, “Go.”
Zayne spotted a few other notable individuals nudging their way ahead. “Well… here goes nothing.” He handed Wyne over to Gilbert, who was busy flashing him a thumbs-up and mouthing off ‘good luck’ as he proceeded ahead. 15 cards… He whispered as the eyes of those around were glued to him, studying his youth, appraising his looks, judging. Zayne smirked at their burning glares, scanning for the scout from the Emerald council scout whose eyes never budged.
Five other adventurers stood with different stances and postures ahead.
“Good. Now, to those who possessed 10 green cards, please hand them out to the counter set up at the entrance. The 6 of you…” Gylenhal frowned, “Stay.”
Footsteps showered his ears as he waited, sweltering in heat and anticipation. He studied the looks of those standing beside him; The same red-maned man standing even taller than Gylenhal with a shield and a massive blade strapped on his back, A female mage clad in blue and black, paired with the usual pointy hat and long, lustrous blue hair with a pair of sapphire eyes, a small, almost child-sized kid garbed in tattered and filthy thick garb with a scarf covering everything but his eyes and muddy hair, two twins garbed in green and turquoise, their glinting armor and hair matching their armor, with medium length hair reaching the nape of their necks, both appearing to be of opposite genders. Then there was Zayne, the least… colorful of the bunch, he admitted.
“What do you think?” Gylenhal turned his head to the guild dispatches. “Impressions?”
“Send them.” One of them spoke. “They shouldn’t be weighing our adventurers behind...”
Send… to where? Zayne’s confused head darted between their exchange, studying their fanciful clothing and heated words.
Gylenhal grumbled, adjusting his monocle, “You heard them. I loathe pushing newbies to do shit like this. But…” Shaking his head, he paced about in his steps, prodding our figures, “Let’s say that the kingdom had a… special…” He sighed, “-event in mind for those with the same cards you held in your hands across the entire western continent. There’s a special tournament planned by the allied races as an incentive for the new generations of adventurers to get stronger together and bond.“ A chuckle left his outstretched lips, “Yeah, bond, as in making friends with the elves and the dwarves, nutty, I know.” He added, his voice thick with mocking mirth, “The fruitless meaning of this event aside, The Vassal of Basin wished to propel his own name out there, and the responsibility of your successes fell to me.”
He shifted his head to the massive monolith overlooking them from above, “If I could, I’d just push the six of you to join the next opening,” He pointed at the massive mirror braving the wind on his back, “-but my authority doesn’t extend that far when it comes to the monolith…” Turning back, he rested his eyes on Zayne, “So, the emerald council came to an agreement. There’s a new dungeon opening from the remnants of the invasion, sealed by my men until I released its official F-5 grading. I wished to extend the six of you a chance to clear it along with some of Emerald council’s finest F-5 ranked folks. Fret not, most of the escaping monsters had been dealt with, but one proved different. It had enough authority to rally the weaker monsters and ripped a dungeon gate near our recently closed encampment. Our scouts reported a black-furred Taurus as the monster designated as the dungeon boss. I don’t have to repeat the extra benefits of clearing a dungeon for the first time, right?”
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Extra rewards, and rare stuff, usually, Zayne pondered as he fixated on Gylenhal’s speech.
“About where it is… Well, you’ve been there, haven’t you, Zayne, the Survivor of Burg? It’s close to where the containment unit once resided.”
Survivor of Burg… Is that my title now? Zayne returned his gaze with a steeled glare, “Yeah.” And… Black-furred Taurus? Images of the monster cannibalizing Kate flashed, dyed with the scarlet backdrop of that night. This had to be a coincidence; no way the monster Gylenhal mentioned turned out to be that. But if it is…
“Of course, you’re not forced to participate in my plans, in fact, you’re free to leave if you wished.” He said with an aloof amusement, “But do understand that this offer only lasts until you leave. Otherwise… the golden card also held another benefit. It allows you to take on quests and missions one rank higher than your current rank, which is…”
He clapped his hands twice. A line of clerks—Pherey being one of them—strutted ahead of Gylenhal, each dangling an amulet adorned with festoons of golden leaves at its edges. Pherey smiled when their eyes met. “Congrats,” She whispered as she handed Zayne his new amulet, “I knew you’d go far.” Dribbles of sweat clung to her sweltering forehead as she fanned the nape of her dress, the puffy ends of her dress bobbed along with her motions. On it, the impression of the word F and 4 could be seen under the sweltering sun.
“Now. Answers.” Gylenhal resumed once she left to find shade, “Are you coming, or not? I remind you; this decision has to be unanimous. I will remind you that excelling in this dungeon clear will earn you a direct entrance to the Emerald council guild.”
The others beside Zayne darted their heads left and right, waiting for another daring folk to answer; their indecisiveness evident from their shifting eyes. Zayne, on his own, wished to accept, but since the decision required everyone’s agreement…
“I’ll come.” The large, red-maned man spoke up, raising his hand in attendance, “If the others wished for it, of course.” His answer roused the flippant group on his right, Zayne being one of them. Then the Azure-haired mage heeded a feminine yes, trailed by the small, muddy man. Only Zayne and the twins hadn’t cast their votes.
“I-“
“Sure.” One of the twins said, “We’re totally down with it. Better rewards? Why the hell not?” The green one spoke, his opinion parroted by the other meeker twin nodding beside him. “So that leaves you, eh, Mr. Zayne?”
With Zayne’s confused nod, the decision had been made, officially accepted by Gylenhal’s sigh. “Fine. The journey to the dungeon will take you 5 days; we’ll head out tomorrow.” He spoke with an exaggerated yawn, “There’ll be a caravan awaiting you in the southern exit the next morning, sponsored by the Emerald council-“ He nudged his head sideways, not-so-subtly pointing at a distinguished old gentleman with calm, studious eyes, “Don’t be late. Now, you’re officially dismissed.”
Gylenhal left, which cued the surrounding guild scouts to bombard them with an official invite to their guild, each attempting to outbid or overwhelm one another. Most ignored Zayne and the other muddy kid in favor of the blue magician and the red-haired man, while the twins received moderate attention. Zayne sighed, noted the request of a timid scout waving his hand for a chat, and decided to at least hear out what he wished to say.
“I’m from the Gylia’s Ravens,” He spoke, rubbing his oversized cap, “We can’t give you much in terms of direct benefits, but… we can guarantee you a spot in the next monolith opening.”
“A spot?” Zayne’s ears perked, what he said snatching his attention, “You mean-“
“Yes.” The man smiled, revealing his somewhat crooked teeth, “Well, most guilds wouldn’t allow recruits to join their monolith squad until they have proven themselves, even if they are star recruits. We are… amiable to a slight bending of that norm if we have to.”
“Can’t I just enter it on my own?” Zayne studied his darting eyes, Their guild isn’t doing so hot, he presumed, “Is there a particular reason why I shouldn’t?”
“That’s… not recommended. Unless you’re so strong the others will think twice about engaging you. And the other guilds won’t forget about your transgressions either. There’s an unwritten rule inside that place,” His head craned to the gigantic monolith, “It’s best if those within follow a certain kind of… ruleset in mind. To act alone is a big no-no, trust me.” The man leaned closer, “And to tell you the truth, it will take more than a few months before the others are granted the chance to join a monolith raid. Especially so in the Emerald council. So.. Think about it. Here.”
He handed Zayne a large sealed letter. The wax on the seal was stamped with the logo of a plummeting raven.
Zayne turned toward the other gold-card candidates, they refused the offers from most of the scouts, and their eyes constantly glanced at the scout from the emerald council, no doubt waiting for him to make his move. To their surprise, he simply left without sparing another word. Unimpressed, is he? Zayne tracked the cadence of his steps as he turned away, leaving the entrance of the monolith, his head thinking about the most recent offer given to him. The rest of the scouts left the variety of sweating candidates in the heat once they’d left a bunch of letters cradled on their hands, complaining about the intense heat.
“Wait. Survivor of Burg.” The large man spoke, his red hair brushed by the calm breeze, “We should talk. Strategize, get to know one another.”
“I second that,” The lady in blue parroted, “I’m new to this town, and it’ll be best if we make friends before participating in a dungeon clear together.” Her words rang cold, an icy chill expelled with every syllable she breathed. Beautiful, Zayne appreciated the sight with a tiny peek, careful not to ogle.
The twins turned their heads to her, “Oh? Let’s get the introductions out of the way, shall we?” The green one spoke again, “My name’s Dixie, and hers, Trixie.” He nudged the shoulder of his twin, answered by a bashful series of nods. She clung to his shoulder as her eyes avoided Zayne’s. “We’re from the Elle noble household. I’m sure you’ve heard of them before, and it’s not like it mattered anyway, but it’s best if we got that out of the gate right away.”
“I’m Hugh,” The red man spoke, “I hail from the northern side of Westlund, just before the Cragksirts canyons. It’s nice to meet you all.” He smiled as he tapped his chest, “I apologize if I sounded rude at times, in my place, we don’t mince our words.”
“Veldora.” The blue mage spoke next, “I’m- well, let’s just end my introductions with my name.”
Keeping her secrets, Zayne mused as he ruffled the back of his head, it was his turn to introduce himself, “Zayne. I’m-”
“Survivor of Burg!” Dixie giggled, “We heard your name before. I remembered!”
Please don’t call me that. And why are you laughing? Zayne pushed an annoyed smile, “You’re right, but-“ he cleared his throat, “Please don’t call me that.”
Trixie, the turquoise twin slapped Trixie hard on the back of his head, “S-Sorry, he’s… stupid.” Dixie muttered a heartfelt apology, clasping both his hands as if he was praying. It was obvious he didn’t mean to hurt his feelings, so Zayne sighed, waving his arms, gesturing that it was all fine.
That left the brooding small man crossing his arms and gazing into the distance. Zayne saw little of his detached expression, unwilling to look the others in the eyes. “And you?” Hugh spoke up afterward, “The one with the dark clothes, what’s your name?”
“Siegel.” A tiny whimper left his scarfed lips, “The name’s Siegel.”
“Alright, Siegel, Zayne, Veldora, Trixie, and Dixie,” Hugh repeated our names as if doing so helped him remember, “Alright, I remember.”
“What’s the plan?” Siegel spoke, his languid voice laden with skepticism, “I’ve always worked alone, so all of this-“ He shrugged at the ones standing before him, “It’s all too new for me. I apologize if I’m being peevish in advance.”
“No worries.” Veldora replied with a gentle smile, “I believe we’re each capable enough to not bring each other down,” Zayne noted the air of authority swirling around her as she tousled her hair, “I have businesses to attend to; let’s meet again tomorrow.”
The others followed her departure, starting from the overtly friendly Dixie, then Siegel, and last came Hugh who gave his back a light tap before stepping outside. Zayne studied the monolith once more, glimpsing its reflective surface, then yawned as he walked to the exit with the letter in mind.
Now, he was a licensed adventurer.