Daphne’s guardian was a colossal chimera—a mix between a mantis and a crab, standing almost two meters high with rows of pincers on its slender body topped with a set of bone scythes at the front.
When it revealed itself, the air gained a sense of sharpness, unlike anything Alaric had ever felt before, as though just by willing it, the air would cut down anyone the guardian deemed dangerous to its master.
Alaric had leapt out of the way as soon as his sword was cut in two, dodging the second scythe that went for his body in the process. He frowned at the half-sword in his hand.
The hilt had shattered… again. Fortunately, this time it had shattered at the same time the examiner’s guardian had emerged from the rift in space.
‘This doesn’t count, does it?’ he wondered, ‘How I hope these practice swords don’t cost a lot of money.’
“A lot of shocks today. It’s like we’re watching the War Game preliminaries,” the Scout examiner chuckled.
He was a man of lean build and no noticeable presence. Alaric noticed how his hair was cut neatly but in no way unique, as though to diminish his presence even further.
To Alaric, however, he stood out even more since his body was constantly being concealed. It was like a small hole in Alaric’s perception that he was always aware of, desperate to fill.
‘He must be a good Scout,’ he thought to himself.
Daphne turned to the man, “Not a word of this to the Guild Master, Curtis.”
Curtis raised up his hands in defence, “You got it. What rank are you going to give him? Or do you plan on just pretending he didn’t just beat you in a fight?”
“He didn’t beat me. Battles like this would normally escalate to both of us using our guardians in battle. Since he can’t fight me and my guardian without one of his own, we can say he’s good for Bronze rank,” the woman yelled out her assessment.
Scarlet frowned from the other side of the ring, “Does everyone get ranked really low during these tests or is there something you’re not telling us?”
Daphne was about to answer before Curtis butted in, “The Adventurer’s Exam is one that’s taken for one primary purpose: To procure a license. Once a license has been awarded, the adventurer can then take on missions and work their way up like everyone else. That’s the short version of the story.
The long version is that there are other things that cannot be assessed by this exam. For instance, we cannot assess your active combat experience or how well you work under pressure. Such things are important out there. The way you handle things under pressure can mean the difference between life and death and all that is taken into account when you’re rising up through the ranks.”
“So you’re saying, no one can become a Platinum rank on strength alone?” Scarlett asked.
“Exactly!” Curtis beamed.
The red-haired woman nodded, “Understood.”
Daphne coughed as her guardian vanished into thin air, “Right. Everyone follow me this way. You’ll all need to answer a few questions just so we have something for the documents. All Adventurers must be documented. Of course, we’ll ask nothing about your private lives.”
……………………….
Thirty minutes later, Alaric found himself in a small inn with Sariah, having a gentle meal. They ate in silence for a while before she asked, “So… how did it go?”
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[ How didn’t it go? That would have been a better question ] Alia scoffed in Alaric’s mind. Wasn’t it nice that so many mysterious things had happened? One of the examinees had blasted an examiner away, he’d witnessed the purification of a powerful demon core, some impressive time magic, new mysterious guardians… and the list went on and on…
There was one thing that stood out the most to him though.
“I think Guildmaster Schiller hates me,” Alaric responded with a sigh.
“What?! That’s impossible. He’s a sweet guy,” she responded with a shocked expression. Alaric wondered what her reaction would have been if she’d seen the way the Guild Master had treated him. Perhaps this was normal… or perhaps knowing would drive a wedge in their friendship.
“The moment I said I wasn’t going to use guardian, he turned cold,” Alaric answered.
“Want me to say something to him?”
“No… Please don’t. I’m just ranting… I don’t want to be noticed so this actually works for me,” Alaric responded with a firm expression, drinking from his cup of juice deeply.
The woman stared at him for a while, “If you’re okay with it, then what’s the problem?”
“It’s just…” Alaric took a deep breath. For the next part, he whispered to the woman across the table, “I’ve never been… that underestimated before. It was… humiliating.”
At this, the woman went silent for a bit, then she started laughing. Her laughter was infectious and innocent, bearing no malice. Then, he realised he was being stupid. Yes, he’d been underestimated but that’s what he wanted. The fact that he was acting this way was just hilarious.
And so, the two laughed over the matter.
When they were settled and their lunch was about to end, Sariah spoke up, “Did you have any plans for the day? I was thinking of taking a look at the Guild Quest Board.”
“Oh, a quest. Can I come?” Alaric asked.
“Oh no, I can’t have you on one of my quests. I can, however, accompany you on a quest of your own. My rank is too high so my missions can be a bit dangerous,” the woman responded.
Alaric chuckled, “I hear you. I was actually thinking of going into town to look for an alchemist.”
“Isn’t it too early for that? You’re still seven levels away from Stone Rank. You won’t need an alchemist until then,” the woman tried.
“I just want to get to know an alchemist soon. Get to know the prices for their services and stuff. Besides, I doubt alchemists are only good for increasing one’s Temper Rank,” Alaric answered, his mind still buzzing with possibilities.
Aside from the enchanting offer of helping someone break through bottlenecks and increase their Temper Ranks, alchemists were capable of so much more. The words ‘elixir’ and ‘pill’ were always used in regard to alchemists. These fascinating individuals were capable of bending the laws of magic to their will to create wondrous pills and elixirs whose uses went as far as anyone’s imagination.
It was all these other benefits that came with knowing an alchemist that Alaric wanted to get to know one this early. Of course, as he’d heard plenty of times, the services of an alchemist were pricey. They would not be free and his pockets weren’t bottomless either.
“Ah, yes… Elixirs and pills. I must warn you though, Alistair. Getting reliant on elixirs is a rabbit hole that won’t be easy to crawl out of,” Sariah warned.
[ Took the words right out of my mouth ] Alia’s voice echoed.
Alaric was only vaguely aware of this. In his mind, he imagined elixirs could range from something as potent and powerful as a Healing potion to something as silly and harmless as a perfume that makes one appear more beautiful to all those who sniff it. With that thinking though, Alaric believed that there was an even wider range of uses for pills and elixirs.
Now, he just needed to find an alchemist to explain all of this to him. But this still wasn’t the main reason he was looking for an alchemist. Alaric would be getting his adventuring license soon… but he wasn’t content with handling random tasks just to increase his fighting experience.
He wanted to kill two birds with one stone. If there was a way to align his own personal missions with the quests given out by the Adventurer’s Guild, then he’d be able to not only progress personally but also make some money while doing it. His goals right now though, were still vague dreams. He needed an alchemist to get a clearer picture of how he could accomplish them. He didn’t just need an alchemist though. He needed an alchemist he could trust.
He needed someone that could not only make use of Alaric’s skills but also help him reach heights most adventurers could only dream of. An alchemist’s worth was in what he could make… and what he could make was limited to what ingredients he had.
As Alaric thought on this more, he gained an even better understanding of the plan he was concocting. He’d need to be ready to answer any questions during negotiations.
“I understand. I’ll be careful,” Alaric responded respectfully. Their conversation became a lot lighter after that. Sariah was still hungering for stories of Marla, her old friend and party member while Alaric wanted to know more about their adventuring days. Naturally, the both of them had plenty to talk about.