Gant couldn't believe what he had just been told. The dangerous man in front of him had asked him to lock himself into the White Tower. With Ruk still standing next to him, seemingly less fazed by the news they had just received, Gant let out a gulp.

"And what do we do once we're inside the tower?" Gant asked, his voice trembling slightly.

The man in front of him looked a little taken aback by the question. "Well, that's quite obvious—do whatever you want. At that point, to us, you're as good as dead." The man's happy expression never broke, but the coldness in his eyes continued to linger on Gant, no matter how long they stayed there. "Well, if we want you guys to survive up until that point, we're going to have to train you first. Also, I want you to remember, as far as the public will know, you will be known as the Vanguard of the Tower. Cool name, huh?"

Before either man could respond, they were shooed away from the tent and given temporary barracks to stay in while they prepared.

Entering the barracks, Gant noticed they had the same feel as the commander's tent. The room was clean—cleaner, at least, than any he had stayed in before—comprised of a bed, but most importantly, the decorations. To his left was a small tool made of some strange metal that gave off a pulsating aura, reminding him of his amulet. He reached into his pocket, feeling around for it. When he grabbed it, a pulse of energy went through his arm. He quickly let go of the amulet, letting it drop back into the bottom of his pants.

The second decoration that lined the wall to his right was another skull. It seemed these people were fans of going beyond the wall. He knew of extremely few people who had done so, but he assumed this military had specialized in it. From the rumors he had heard, it was almost like a rite of passage for high noblemen with a high concentration of dragon blood to head beyond the wall and test their might in the western Greenlands. This skull he couldn't make out, aside from the eerie three stumps on its head and the almost elongated snout and eye sockets.

With a shiver, Gant wondered why they had stuck him in another trophy room rather than some closet. He was cannon fodder, after all.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The loud thumps echoed in his room, amplified by the stone floor. "You've had enough time to get settled. Get out here!" a voice commanded. As Gant opened the door, a large, square-statured man met him. "Please gather at the training grounds. We need you to meet someone before your briefing."

An awkward silence befell them as the training grounds were a slight ways away. They had passed them on horseback, so he hadn't noticed the distance, but it took them close to 20 minutes of silent trekking. The square man never broke rhythm in his stride, never even letting out a sigh or small gasp, just uniformly marching. As they approached the gate to the training grounds, Gant could see Ruk already standing there, his usual bored gaze tinged with a sparkle as he looked around at the officers training. The sword swings were even more magnificent in person—it seemed each officer knew exactly where to place their foot for each swing. The same uniformity Gant had noticed earlier was not lost here. In particular, a scrawnier man training with a Reel Blade seemed to have a particular flow to his movements.

"Attention!" The loud noise caught Gant off guard, but he quickly saw Ruk stand up straight and face the officer. Gant mimicked him, adjusting his own posture—something difficult after years of slouching in the crowded slums. After straightening his back, he then noticed another person with them, standing just beyond Ruk's head. She had a mushroom growing out of her hair...

"Hey, sorry, you got something in your hai..." Gant leaned over to try and brush it off.

Smack. He hadn't even registered what had happened, but he could feel the sting in his hand. The girl's eyes conveyed an intense fury that wasn't there earlier. Her entire aura seemed to have flipped a switch when he tried to touch the mushroom. He thought maybe she just didn't want him to touch her. He knew many people were very touchy about personal space, especially those from higher-class areas.

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Ruk almost giggled at the interaction; it seemed he knew something like this was bound to happen. "Forgot to warn you—never touch an Elysian mushroom. They're kind of touchy about that."

"It is not simply a mushroom. Regardless, you should handle them with care. But this is a piece of my god that was sent with me on my pilgrimage through your filthy lands," the girl explained fervently. "You will do well to remember, this world only has one god left living, and that is Si'Mu."

Gant quickly decided to change the subject and turned to Ruk. "Ohhh, Si, like you told me earlier." She didn't seem to mind and just turned back to the commander. Ruk ignored his comment.

"Ahem!" The commander let out a cough. "Your introductions are finished. As of this moment, you have ten days to get yourselves ready. You will each be provided a sword and a tutor. We are not sure why the tower chose you, but we'll make damn sure to use you."

Gant shook his head. "Sorry, sir, I can't even lift one of your swords, let alone swing one." The mushroom girl also shook her head, but Gant could tell the commander was less surprised by that piece of information.

"Damn! The last people with the mark were freaks of nature, barely stopped by the human and dwarf alliance. You're telling me you can't use a basic driving blade? Fine, we'll just give you a dagger for now." He turned his attention to the girl. "As for you, from what I've heard, you need no weapon to be dangerous, especially you emissaries of the Great Fungal One." Gant could see she wanted to speak up, but before she could be given the chance, a dagger was shoved into her arms. "No matter how powerful you are, you will learn how to swing a blade. No human in my army will go out beyond these walls without a blade." The man's seriousness made the air grow immeasurably tense.

"Except for the Gi?" Ruk seemed to enjoy trying to correct the higher-ups. Before the smirk could even finish forming on his face, he was on the ground, a fully flared Reel Blade at his throat.

"Do not make a mockery of the ones who carry the blood of our future." One of the men who had been training on the grounds was huffing and breathing down Ruk's neck. The commander didn't even seem fazed by this. From what Gant could gather, the reverence for the nobles here was the exact opposite of their opinion in the slums. It only made sense that way—these people were fighting, laying their lives on the line for this, of course, they would revere them.

As the man removed his blade's tip from Ruk's neck, he spat on Ruk, and Ruk seemed to quickly lose his demeanor. The man's Reel Blade folded up from its cone shape to its needle-like point. The man who was wielding it was clearly very talented, able to dance around its forms so quickly. His movements lacked the elegance some of the other trainees had, but what he lacked in elegance, he made up for with precision.

"Why did you spit on my sheath?" Ruk seemed to be seething as he spoke those words, putting as much weight behind them as he could.

"Because it carries no sword. What kind of warrior carries a sheath with no sword and is so easily taken down?"

"Is that the only reason?"

"Yes." The man seemed slightly confused but remained steadfast in his replies.

"Phew, if that's all the reason, I can let this go." The anger quickly left Ruk's eyes, seeming to dissipate in seconds, as if the man's reasoning justified his actions—and if they didn't, he would have had to pay. Gant wondered if that was simply a bluff. Ruk didn't seem like a very good fighter. He was definitely smart, but a fighter? Not a chance—his sheath was empty of any sword anyway.

"Well, now that you're acquainted, I guess this is a good time to introduce you to your last companion on your journey, Lee'Kash, our very own Reel Blade expert." The commander pointed to the man Ruk had just picked a fight with, seemingly trying to introduce him as if they hadn't just witnessed his skill.

Ruk looked unfazed. It seemed his earlier scuffle was truly water under the bridge for him after hearing that confirmation. On the other hand, the mushroom girl looked even more tired by his addition. Gant assumed he was the only person happy with Lee'Kash's accompaniment. He might be a bit of a prick, but he seemed to be the strongest one of them all. Gant then extended his arm to Lee'Kash to greet him. "Good to meet you, Lee."

A brief silence fell. Ruk leaned in to whisper, "His title is Lee, his name is Kash."

"Excuse me, good to meet you, Kash." Kash returned his handshake with no hesitation, which Gant had not expected.

Then Gant turned around to face the girl, realizing only now that he never got her name. "And your name is?"

She conjured a small mushroom and handed it to Gant. "Selina. Nice to meet you."

Gant, slightly bewildered, looked at Ruk again, holding the mushroom in his hands. Ruk just shook his head. It seemed even he wasn't well-versed enough to know about mushroom-offering greetings.