"Hi, Scarlett how've you been?" Arthur spoke first

"Good enough"

"I've been good too thanks! But that's not important, what is important is the fact that I want you to get our party an A-ranked adventurer license" Arthur said beaming like a child

"What makes you think I can just do that?"

"I heard from my friend other here that you've become quite the big shot over here, so I thought you might be able to put in a good word for us."

"Yes I have become an Arch Mage that is true but I don't have the authority to give out free licenses."

"I thought the Elf King liked you? Couldn't you just like ask him or something?"

"No, I cannot Arthur, the Elf King has already done enough for me as is, and asking such a thing would be ungrateful on my part"

"What grade license could you get for us If you begged for it"

"C at most, but don't think I'll go begging for you're sake." Scarlett said the last part with a bit of disgust on her face

"Mhm, I see oh well that was all I wanted to talk about. Actually... there is one other thing"

"What might that be?"

"Has Michael done anything that could raise suspicion?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"Nothing just had a feeling."

"I don't have time for your feeling, leave now."

"How rude." Arthur said but still made for the exit.

Eldarion was silent the whole conversation but after exiting the gate he finally asked a question.

"What was the point of going there, surely you knew she couldn't just give you an A-ranked license right?"

"Oh yeah, of course I knew that"

"Then what was the point of going through the trouble of getting in and speaking to her?"

"I wanted information on Michael."

"Yeah I heard you speaking about him as if he's some sort of criminal, isn't he Miss Cypra's loyal companion?"

"He is, but something felt off about him last time we were traveling together that's all."

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"I feel like I should have asked this before so that I could have just said no to all this." Eldarion said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Hahaha, indeed you should have my friend." Arthur said patting him on the back and laughing.

Arthur and Eldarion were off to the Adventurers Guild to get Arthur a proper license, he was supposed to get it when he turned sixteen but the whole Massacre incident happened. The licenses are ranked from lowest to highest: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, S+, you can take a quest from the same rank you are in. Eldarion already had a B-ranked license so Arthur just had to join him on his quests and rise through the ranks quickly. That's what Arthur told Eldarion at least, Arthur had no idea if it would work or not. What he did know was that he needed to get his license now rather than later.

It took them twenty minutes to get to the Guild. The Guild building looked a bit worn down with vines and plants growing out of the bricks as well as cracks forming on the pillars and walls. The smell inside wasn't much better, it smelt like alcohol and sweat. There were a hundred or so people inside the building drinking and eating, the Guild looked more like a restaurant than a place where Adventurers get quests. Working their way through the people to get to the counter they signed Arthur up and got him a license. Arthur got an F-ranked license of course but that didn't matter to him because he could now accept quest legally without any problems. Arthur could only hope that going on B-ranked quests with Eldarion wouldn't get him in legal trouble.

That covered all the tasks that Eldarion and Arthur had for the day, so they separated after telling each other to meet at the inn later that night. Arthur walked out of the city walls and into the nearby forest. He found a clearing and drew out his sword, the katana that was made for him in the Dwarfen continent. He started by doing some basic swings. He swung the sword in a horizontal arc, then followed it up with a diagonal slash. He repeated this motion several times, trying to make each swing more fluid and precise than the last.

As he practiced, Arthur lost himself in the rhythm of the sword. He moved with a grace and ease that he had never felt before. His mind was focused solely on the sword and the way it moved through the air, cutting through the wind with a sharp swish. Arthur's movements grew more complex as he tried out different combinations of strikes. He would start with a thrust, then follow it up with a spinning slash. He would jump back and forth, dodging imaginary attacks and counterattacking with a flurry of strikes. His face was set in concentration, his eyes locked on the sword as he moved through the motions.

He practiced for hours, only stopping when the sun began to set and the sky turned a deep orange. He sheathed his sword and walked back to the city, feeling satisfied. 'Maybe I should get Eldarion to shoot some arrows at me to test my dodging and reflexes' Arthur thought as he walked home. Deep in thought Arthur didn't realize he was being followed, silently at first until stepping on a branch gave him away. Arthur spun around with practiced reflexes.

"Who goes there?!" Arthur called out still looking for any sign of the mysterious person. No one answered him, the forest was silent. Arthur then started slowly looking through the Hyperion trees since they were so tall and thick he thought they might be hiding either behind them or on top of them. CRACK... another stick broke somewhere behind Arthur. Spinning around to face that way, he realized it was bait, he felt it before seeing it. A streak of blood headed towards him. Quickly throwing his arms up to block the attack, he readied himself for another. Behind him again. Spin, block. 'How does it keep getting behind me so fast, there couldn't have been more than 2 seconds between those shots!?' Arthur's mind was racing at this point. He can't fight like this, he was at a disadvantage in the forest. He used 'Gift of Speed' 3 times to get out of the enemy's general direction, running towards the city he sensed another shot, blocking it just before it hit. He was only 100 meters from the gate by now.

"Hey!" Arthur started yelling at the guards to get their attention. But before they could even turn two streaks of blood pierced their heads instantly killing them.