The next morning I got the kids ready for school. Then i went to see the Adventurers Guild Master. The guild hall was across town. It had it's own block near City Hall.

As i walked i went back over the things my mother had said the night before. I needed to find out more about this group that had gone with my parents, i also needed to find out what exactly happened to them. Clearly someone knew more than i had been told since their belongings had been returned.

The Guild building was huge. Made entirely of imported Dwarf Stone from deep in the Rockies. Then built here and claimed as a system structure. There are two ways of doing that I guess. The first being you buy a plot of land and have the system build the place for you. The second is the guild hall. It was enchanted to withstand the breath weapon of a Wyrm red dragon. Or so they say. To my knowledge that's never actually been tested. Built by dwarven architects with an agreed upon floor plan. They spared no expense. The doors made of pure Mithril have the Guild Crest on each panel with various champions of the guild over the last hundred years fighting various monsters.

I opened the door and went to the receptionist. She was a blond woman with glasses and sharply pointed ears. I'd normally guess elf but these days she could be half tegrin and unless you used an analytical skill on her you couldn't tell. That's frowned upon as being impolite.

"Hello. I'd like to see master Sedrick. Please tell him Jason Daniels is here regarding his parents death." I said.

She looked at me for a second then pushed a button on the desk and spoke in to a small microphone I hadnt noticed. A few minutes later a tall woman in a steel helmet and breastplate came in from one of the hall ways. I recognized her immediately.

"Hello sensei." I said.

"How many times have I told you to call me Aunt Gwen when we're not training?" She asked.

"I've lost track sensei." I said with a smirk.

Gwen, or Gwendolyn Moore isn't really my Aunt. She's the halberd master here at the Guild. She was one of my father's trainers. For years. She made him call her Aunt Gwen too. She may look 30 but apparently one of the perks of the system is you get a much longer lifespan. No ones really sure how old she is. I guess the last guy that got it right had to face her in a 1 on 1 challenge. Hes been in a coma for 12 years. Or at least that's the rumor.

"Are you here for training? Your a bit early if that's the case." She said.

"Yes, and no. I came to see Master Sedrick about my parents. Then I was planning to head over." I said.

That's when the receptionist cleared her throat. In a dust dry librarian voice she said.

"The Master will see you now."

Gwen and I exchange looks, then bust out laughing. The librarian, I mean receptionist, glares at us looking offended. I guess you had to have seen the movie.

"I'll take him up." Gwen says after she stops chuckling.

I follow Gwen down yet another hall to a bank of doors marked elevator. We get in one and head for the top floor.

"So what's with the new look?" Gwen asks.

Shit. I'd forgotten all about that. Gwen was practically family though so I decided to be honest.

"Race change from the System. Apparently I'm a Shadow Dragon now." I said.

Her eyebrows shoot through the roof in surprise. Apparently not the answer she was expecting.

"I also gained two legendary classes." I said a bit smugly.

She narrows her eyes at me and my tone.

"Dont get cocky boy, your a thousand years too early to act like that with me." She says.

Then we both snicker at that.

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"So what classes did you get?" She asks.

"Some kind of mage class with light Gravity and soul magics. The Crafting class is called Arcane Engineer. Somthing to do with golems I guess? I'm not sure exactly." I said.

She nods slowly.

"Powerful stuff. Somthing to keep in mind though. Once people find out about you they are going to be one of three ways. Friendly. Angry. Jealous. The friendly ones should be ok, but they could also be spies looking for your tech secrets. Magitech is a big deal. And any new innovation will be a huge deal. So guard your secrets well. The jealous will try to sabotage you whether its social interactions or in your class progress. The angry ones are the easiest to see coming usually. So be on your guard. And when you go to the Academy dont tell anyone about your race. Other than the Rockies Aeri there aren't alot of free Dragons roaming around. I can almost guarantee none of those are Planar Dragons." She said.

I stood there contemplating what she said as we got to the top floor. The doors opened on to a small hallway leading to another pair of Mithril doors. These were smaller than the last set by a small margin. We passed through the doors and behind it was a massive oak desk. Behind the desk sat a short man. His hair was grey with white streaks and he had piercing blue eyes. His muscles had muscles and he exuded a powerful aura.

"Jason, what can I do for you?" He asked.

"You can tell me how my parents died and whether or not the addition of a second group had anything to do with it." I said calmly.

He got a mild look of irritation on his face and glanced at Gwen, then back at me.

"She didnt tell me. I recieved a message from my parents. Apparently it was set to be sent after I passed my System Day and gained my classes. It told me a great many things you never mentioned." I said.

"I see." He sighed. Then continued.

In answer to your question then. Yes the extra group was responsible for your parents deaths. Along with the entire rest of their group. When they failed to return with your parents group we investigated. Your parents were some of the best we had, and they were known for being extremely cautious. They had been to The Necropolis more than once and returned alive."

"I see. What did you find?" I asked.

"We found the other team had been hired to sabotage your parents efforts to retrieve 4 relics from the Necropolis's outer towers. In the process they got trapped in a Void pit. It's a trap that sucks all the air out of the room. After that the traitors took your parents gear and tried to sell it here of all places. Once we found out what happened under truth spell interrogation we learned who had hired them and brought the full weight of the guild down on them. Your parents were much loved son. They went out of the way to help others in need while in dungeons. We all feel their loss deeply." He said.

"Are they dead? The other team I mean." I said.

"Yes. So is the one directly responsible for hiring them. And his family was penalized heavily." He said.

"Ok." I said.

In all honesty it was a relief to know they weren't out there any more. When I began adventuring I'd have to be extremely careful in who I chose for my team. My brothers and sister were a given obviously. But that still left six open slots on a dungeon team. I drew myself out of my thoughts and looked up.

"Thank you for telling me." I said.

"Its fine kid. Just live well and do your parents proud like you have been. That's all the thanks I need." He said.

Gwen had been silent through the whole thing but now she put her hand on my shoulder.

"Time to get your ass kicked kid. Come on." She said.

We took the elevator back down in silence. Once we reached the bottom we took the same hall she'd come from before. After about 20 feet doors started lining the hallway, occasionally you could hear the clash of weapons or explosions from behind them. The Training Hall. One of the perks of owning a private residence with system functions. We had a smaller version at home. But the one here was much more advanced. It had over 300 programmable rooms. You could practice any martial or magical skill.

We went down the hall to the end. This was the Training Masters room. It was a combination gym and dojo with a small door in the back that led to Gwen's private rooms. Not even my dad had been in there though. Gwen was extremely private.

"Grab your Mirkwood Saberstaff kid. Let's see how rusty you've gotten." She said.

I went over to my locker and opened it. Inside was my training gear. It was sort of a cross between kendo armor and a suit of fencing gear. Made out of hardened synthetic fibers and cloth. Next to that was my weapon of choice. My father and I had designed it based on one we saw in an old movie about a hobbit.

The staff was about five feet long, on either end was a two foot long blade curved like a scimitar but much narrower. Where the blades met the wood of the staff were braces one in each cardinal point angled slightly towards the tip of the blades. They were designed for catching enemy weapons so they didnt slide down the staff and slice my fingers. They could also be used to disarm opponents with enough speed and strength.

Taking my armor to the changing room I came back out and grabbed my weapon. I began a basic kata as I waited for Sensei. The blades on the staff were designed so they face opposite each other. That way if you spin the staff properly you would get several rapid cuts, instead of having to reverse momentum constantly. As I began to spin the staff I imagined my opponent. Block, parry, thrust, spin, step, block, block, low sweep, it wasnt until a few minutes later I realized I'd been facing an actual opponent.

Gwen stood in front of me grinning.

"Not bad kid. Not bad at all. Your definitely ready for the Academy martial program. You were kinda zoned out there though. Gonna need to work on that." She said.

Then she came at me fast and hard and I no longer had time to think.