As Treo and Stormy continue to follow the road towards town, they come to the top of a hill and get their first look at Ryoma a kilometer ahead.

: "There it is, Ryoma. Population 5500. Kingdom of Neuvera."

: "Is that just a guess, or do you know somehow?"; she said turning her gaze towards him with raised brows.

: "Oh, ahh.....heh....I've got an analyze skill, so....yeah..."; he said nervously.

: "Analyze? What kinds of things does it tell you?"; she said curiously.

: "I only have a few skill points invested, but it tells me basic information about a person, item, or town. The more points I invest, the more information it tells me."

: "A person? What does it say about me, for example?"; she asked gazing briefly into his hazel eyes.

: "Well, at level 1, it gave me information on my weapons and armor, but when I tried to analyze you it said Analyze skill level 5 was required to see anything. It tells me your name, level, race, age, class, and title. Basically whatever you have on your profile page. Your status page is still private so only you can see it, but I don't know if any more information will be revealed to me if I invest more points or not."

: Wrapping her robe tighter around herself as she listens; "Erm....okay...at least some things are still private. Can anyone with the Analyze skill learn that about me, or just you?"

: "I don't know yet, but you should be able to change some of what your profile information shows by going to your Status page. I discovered I can change everything except my Race and Age. Do you see it there?"

: Looking for a few seconds as she searches; "Ah yes, I see it here. How about now?"

: Using the Analyze skill, he gazes longingly at her:

Name:  Stormy Level: 3 Race: Human Age: 17 Class: Commoner Title:

: Noticing the changes she made, he smiles softly; "That works. You can change your age? Impressive. Anyways, I don't know if Commoner is actually a class, but smart thinking to put something other than White Mage."; Gesturing towards the town with his right arm, hand extended outwards; "So, do you have plans, or shall we find an Inn for the night?"

: Smiling slightly as she nods; "Let's find an Inn." She follows behind him, noting how attentive he's trying to be and hiding her pink cheeks.

: As they get closer to the town and they see more people, he uses the Analyze skill to check the classes of various people. He mutters quietly so only Stormy hears him; "Farmers and Villagers are mostly what I'm seeing....maybe you should change Commoner to Villager, just to be safe."

: Widening her eyes briefly; "Right..." She makes the change and continues following him. "What about you?"

: "I'll stay as Defender, and ask the guards for directions to the Adventurers Guild. I figure it'll be less suspicious that way."; he says as they get closer to the gate where the guards are checking people going in.

: "You're okay. Next!"; he says motioning to the man in front of them.

: Looking around nervously; "I'm just heading to the market, no big deal right?"

: Furrowing his brows as he looks at him, and reaching his hand to touch the hilt of his sword at his waist; "Normally, no...not a big deal...except if you're tagged as a Bandit!"

Three Guards immediately surround him with their swords drawn, causing others in the area to back away.

: "You're coming with us!"; he said as the man backed up into Treo.

: Pulling a dagger out and attempting to take Treo as a hostage; "Don't come any closer, or he gets it!"

: "Why don't you put that down before you get yourself killed!"; he says trying to de-escalate the encounter.

: "Tough guy, eh? How about you DIE!"; he says as he pushes the dagger into Treo's side...only to discover it does not go through. "What the...?"

: "Get him, now!"; he says as he elbows the Bandit in the chest, trying to knock the wind out of his lungs to help the guards capture him.

: "Grab him"; he calls out, knocking the dagger to the ground.

The guards quickly capture and subdue him.

: "We'll take it from here. Do you need healing?"; he says looking down at Treo's side where the dagger stabbed him and not finding any wound. "Didn't he stab you there? Are you okay?"

: Wiping himself off, he shakes his head. "No, I'm good. See? No wound. I'm fine."; he says turning towards Stormy. "Shall we?"; he says motioning towards the Guard.

: Looking Treo over; "Ah, a Defender...that explains it. Great defense, no attack. Don't see many Defenders anymore."

: "Yeah, that's me."; he says smiling slightly as he glances at Stormy briefly before turning back to the guard. "I'm all about protecting others."

: He then looks at Stormy for a moment; "And a Villager. You know, if you two register at the Adventurer's Guild and get your abilities tested, that means you'll get a class also Miss. You'll find the Adventurers Guild on the right down the main road there, across from the tavern, and a few doors past the Inn. You two are all clear to go. Next!"; he motions to the people behind Treo & Stormy in line.

: Looking at Treo's side where the dagger was; "Are you sure you're uninjured?"

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

: "No injury at all. The same would have happened if he tried to take you hostage. The dagger wouldn't have pierced you at all, not as long as I've got you set as a target of my 'Shield Other' skill!"; he says as they continue walking into the town.

: Blushing a little as she follows behind him; "I'm glad. Thank you, for everything."; she says following beside and slightly behind Treo.

: "First time here?"; he asks as they head towards the direction of the Adventurer's Guild, analyzing random people to see their class and any titles.

: Nodding; "Yes. It's so much smaller than the capital, but easier to navigate. Look, we're almost at the Adventurers Guild. Isn't that it right over there?"; she says pointing towards a building on the left about 100 meters away.

: "I think so. I've not seen one before, but it seems that you have. Are you already registered with the guild?"; he asks stealing a glance at her.

: "Yes, they were the ones that told me about White Mages"; she says as they continue walking towards the guild.

: "Ah, yes...I forgot you mentioned that already. Well, this is a first for me. So, can you show me around?"

: "If it's laid out the same as the one at the capital, then yes I can show you around...but the receptionist will likely go over all of that once you register."; she points to a building on the right side of the street. "Look, isn't that the Inn the guard mentioned?"

: "Yes, I think so. Let's take care of business at the guild first, then we'll get our rooms from the Inn, okay?"

: Simply nodding without answering, she continues to follow Treo into the Adventurers Guild. "Yup, layout is the same. You register at that desk there!"; she says pointing to the long-haired brunette woman behind the counter.

: "Welcome to the Adventurers Guild! How can I help you?"; she says with what looks like a standard customer service smile.

: "I'd like to register, and turn in some Bandit IDs I came across on my way here."

: "Certainly! Just lay your hands on this magic stone here and we'll get your registration form filled out!"; she says motioning to the stone pedestal next to the counter.

: Looking at the stone and using identify briefly before placing his hands on it.

----------------------------------------

Stone of Identifying

----------------------------------------

: Looking at the magic image display on the stone; "Ah, okay. Level 4, Defender. Wow, I haven't seen a Defender before. I'm curious how you unlocked that class?"

: "I've always had it as long as I can remember. Why, is it a problem or something?"

: "No, it's not a problem...I just don't know of any other Defenders, I've never seen one and was simply curious. Everything else checks out and you can release your hands now. How about you, Miss? Will you be registering as well?"

: Pulling out her guild card and showing it to the receptionist; "I'm fine, I already registered."

: "Ah, okay. You can wait in the lounge while we have Treo evaluated if you want."

: "I'd like to accompany him, if that's okay."; she said nervously.

: "That's fine, just don't interfere in the evaluation and you can watch. Please follow me, Treo."; she said walking out the side door, motioning for Treo to follow. After following her through the side door they arrive in what looks like a training room where a man in leather armor greets them. "Kyle here will evaluate you and your abilities. Can I watch? I've never seen a Defender before, so I'm curious how one gets evaluated."

: Raising his brows in response; "Defender? It's been a long while, but I can evaluate a Defender. Just stand on that mark on the floor over there and get your gear ready." He maneuvers into position about 5 meters away and draws his longsword, holding it with two hands.

: Pulling his sword and shield out of his item box and getting into position. "I'm ready."

: "Ok, I'll come at you...just try to defend. I'll start off with easy hits, and progressively get tougher until I overcome your defense. ready?"

: "Yeah, I'm ready."; he says tightening his grip.

: "Here we go!"; and with that he runs toward Treo, swinging his sword at his shield. Treo blocks it and lowers his stance a bit, readying for the next hit. "Try that sword next."

: Swinging with his Sword of Taunting, Kyle blocks it with his sword and sees a slight glow from Kyle's sword.

: "Good! Usually the initial taunt you get with the Defender class is weaker, but your taunt is pretty strong for being only level 4. Now hit that target dummy over there with your 'Shield Other' for the next part."

: Turning towards the wooden target dummy and activating his skill, he nods to Kyle once he's done. "Ready."

: Turning towards the target dummy, he swings very hard at the target dummy, looking, then swinging again, then back and forth a few times until the 5th attack on the dummy caused Treo's defense to break and Treo goes down. "That's a pretty strong Shield Other skill...more than what's typical for a level 4 Defender. The point at which your defense breaks is typical for a level 20 Defender or so....not level 4. Do you have something else going on that's enhancing your defense so much?"

: Shaking his head; "No, I don't know of anything different that could be causing it. Is that a problem?"

: "No, it's not a problem, I just don't know what's making your defense so strong. You get a pass for your evaluation at F-rank. You're not ready yet for promotion to a higher rank, but keep it up and you'll be E-rank before too long."; he says nodding to Amber. "He's a solid F-rank, but when he's ready for E-rank bring him right to me. Also, recommend him for protection and backup bodyguard quests. He should be ready for E-rank in no time!"

: "Wow! Such high praise from the hard-to-impress Kyle. You're all done, so follow me and we'll get you finished up and give you your guild card."

: After glancing towards Stormy for a moment he follows behind Amber as she leads them back to the receptionist counter. "Is it that rare for an evaluator to do that?"

: "Yes, especially for Kyle...and he NEVER recommends anyone other than A-ranks for protection and backup bodyguard quests. It's quite an impressive feat for anyone, especially for a newly registered F-rank. I have just the quest in mind for you if you'd like to hear about the details."; she said as they opened the door and arrived back at the front counter.

: Turning to Stormy; "You interested? Or shall we come back later to take a quest."

: "I'm not ready to take another quest yet. I have guild business as well to take care of, so let's just stay a day or so...is that okay?"; she said arriving at the front counter again.

: "Sure, I'll be with you in a moment. Meanwhile, you're all set Treo. Here's your guild card and the quest board is right over there. The protection and backup bodyguard quests are given here at the counter, so just come to me when you're interested in those. Do you have any other questions?"

: "None, thank you!"; he said taking his guild card and loooking it over while Stormy conducts her business.

: Turning to Stormy she asks; "How can I help you?"

: Presenting her guild card; "I took an escort quest from the capital and there was an incident where the Merchant and I were attacked."; she said looking nervously.

: "Ah, so you're the White Mage! Yes the Merchant mentioned you were the only one in the party he wanted to be rewarded. We'll take your testimony to be thorough for the record, but it was quite clear the rest of your party was awful."

: "What happened when they arrived here?"; she asked raising her brows.

: "The caravan...or what was left of it...pulled up to the front door and the four of them said they were attacked by undead near the road. They said that while trying to aim your attack spell at a skeleton fighting with the Merchant you missed the skeleton and hit the merchant, leading to his death. They didn't know whether you missed on purpose or not, so once all the skeletons were taken care of they left you behind. Right then, the Merchant appeared from within one of the wagons and refuted all of their testimony, much to their shock at seeing him alive. The Merchant said you were the only one able to take down the undead, including a Lich, and also said you were harassed by the others since leaving the capital. He also reported you were attacked by their mage during the fight. You're the only one to get the reward, so here's your payment. There's also a bonus tip from the Merchant and we're promoting you to E-rank for all you've done. We at he Guild would like to apologize to you for the entire incident and have revoked their guild membership."

: "Wow, so he really did keep his promise."; she said stunned at someone actually keeping their word and being kind to her.

: Putting a hand on her shoulder as he gazes into her eyes; "Some of us do keep promises. I'm sorry you had such bad luck, but I promise you I'll stay by your side and protect you with my life...if you'll let me."