“I apologize, but I would never let an opponent gain their strength while in combat. You waited too long to use it, and I was worried I’d lose if I faced you head on like that.” Rose scratched the back of his head, and sheathed his sword.
Helena approached the field, “Rose please wait back inside the main guild office, and await your results.” He nodded, and she walked past him. Looking in the ground in front of the now distraught old timer, was a footprint buried several inches into the ground towards the side, and another one with the heel dug in next to him.
She spoke up first, “It seems he was holding back the whole time,” she looked at the other employees, “What do you make of it? His rank anyways?”
A woman with black as night hair and deep brown eyes spoke up first, “The best we can do is A rank, as our tester is a former, not current S rank.” The shaggy, brown haired man spoke next, “It seems like we could waive any party requirements for B rank and below quests at the very least.”
Everyone seemed to agree except for the man still kneeling, reeling from what he just experienced. “You guys don’t seem to get it, that kid could’ve killed me at any point during that bout. If he can move that quickly, then he can handle himself solo on almost anything.”
“Not if he is surrounded, besides, I’m sure that if you would’ve been powered up you could’ve handled it. He took advantage by wearing you down. I think the rank is sufficient, and leniency towards B rank and below missions is plenty.” They ignored his words, and went inside to fill out the paperwork.
***
Chris sat waiting for his results out in the main area. A few different races sprinkled in here and there, some rowdy guys hoping for attention shouting across the bar, but overall this area seemed quite enjoyable. As he sat, the boy from earlier approached him, Derrian.
Chris spoke up first, “I watched your match, you handled yourself quite well for someone not using physical enhancement magic. Not to mention your style with the rapier was top notch in my opinion.”
Derrian sat down by him, a bit jittery, “T-Thank you very much, what rank did you get, I saw that you decided to challenge him without handicap, and based on your clothing, and general well being, it seems you held out against him.”
“Actually I was told to wait for my rank after putting him in a forfeit only position. I didn’t let him fully power up, so I might still only get B rank, but it should be fine.” Derrian looked at Chris with awe in his eyes, “My name's Derrian, what’s yours?” Derrian put his hand out for a handshake.
Chris clasped hands, “Name’s Rose, nice to meet you.” After a few minutes of chatting about himself, Derrian was called to the front desk to receive his adventurers card. He walked back, like it was his newborn child he was cradling, and plopped back down. He showed off the card. It had his name, a description of him, his rank, and a balance.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“What’s balance mean?” Chris asked, a bit worried. Derrian laughed a bit, “It’s just how much money you have stored with the guild. You can either be paid with coinage, or simply have the amount put on your card, and that card can be used at either this guild, or other guilds even in other countries to pull out spendable money.”
Chris thought to himself about how nifty that was, thinking of plans around it until Rose was suddenly called to the front. He received his card, with the rank of A slapped across it, his description focusing on the details of the mask, and his hair color, as those were the most blatant. His balance wasn’t zero either, “Excuse me, why is my balance already 10 silvers? I haven’t deposited anything.” The girl across the counter responded, “It seems an Unvern contact offered an amount depending on your ranking. I hope it isn’t a problem.”
Chris nodded, and thanked the woman, and went back over to Derrian, excitingly showing off his rank. Derrian was awe struck, but nodded that anyone cool enough to beat “Mad Swordsman” was worthy of the A rank at least. Chris headed back to his dorm, as there was free food for him there, and he didn’t wanna waste any of the money the headmaster gave him. He dipped and dodged through alleys until he was close enough, then took the mask off and rolled the robe up back into his hands.
He returned around noon, just in time for lunch, only to find his friends in an argument about him.
“There’s no way he’s going to be fine on his own! Even if he is strong, there’s no way he can compare to those who have been spending their whole lives right?” Jenny was yelling at Haven.
“Ohh really? Then why did I beat a retired S-Ranker without breaking a sweat?” Chris strode up, his heels clicking against the tile. He sat down with a smirk on his face, displaying his adventurer’s card.
Lily piped up, “Wow, you got an A Rank, it takes most people years to get there!” Her eyes twinkled with awe.
“If you guys faced off against a magician you probably would’ve gotten A Rank as well, so it’s nothing too special, but I’ve already met some nice people.” Chris was smiling, retelling what happened.
His friends seemed a bit relieved after hearing how well he did. “So, just because you beat some old timer, you think that you can handle adventuring?” Jenny asked, obviously frustrated.
“I think any one of us would be. It’s just I’m selfish, so I’d like you guys to stay safe,” Chris shyly said, as he avoided eye contact. Jenny sighed.
The conversation lightened after that, and he informed them of his alias in case they needed him.
After that, Chris spent his time like usual. Helping his friends practice magic, creating a study packet based on the book, and finishing up his first year of classes. He met a few more times with Gwyndel, discussing plans, and informing her of his general progress with his group.
The semester ended faster than Chris felt like it should. He still wanted to spend time with his friends, but he knew that he should take advantage of the new free time he gained. As he left, he found his friends waiting for him at the gate. He thanked all of them for the great year, and Jenny and Haven hugged him on the way out of the gate. Both seemed reluctant to let him go.
“I’ll be back in a few months to check up on you guys. Haven, if you visit home, tell my family that I’ll try to make time to visit and that I miss them.” Haven nodded and Chris waved as he headed towards the Guild, feet slapping against the polished cobble path.
He popped into an alley, and changed into his new getup. He was once again Rose. He quickly walked down the street, avoiding carriages with various crests of apparent importance. His pack began to slip, and he quickly hiked it back up.