Leaving the orphanage was a big step for Alaric and one that he acknowledged significantly in his mind. He didn’t know when he’d be returning to the orphanage and that was fine. There was plenty for him to do outside of the Five Hills.

Still, he’d never known any other place so he was right to feel a bit anxious to leave the village. ‘First off! The Tower of Seekers.’

Alaric looked down at his outfit, furrowing his eyebrows at the trousers that only barely reached his ankles. His shirt exposed a bit of the creamy skin without reaching his navel which still left the boy feeling uncomfortable.

LionHeart noticed this and sighed, “Hey, the Tower is protected with magic that doesn’t let anyone in without proper permission. With the help of magic, that permission can be woven into the clothes we use at the Tower. That magic is lifted on rare events like the Appraisal Ceremony… so you’ll have to bear with us.”

The boy sighed, “Fine… I want to change as soon as we get my new clothes though.”

“That you will,” LionHeart promised. The boy relaxed, wondering how many people he’d have to talk to in this ill-fitting outfit before he got to change.

Silence…

Comfortable silence was no stranger to Alaric, so naturally, he shouldn’t have been bothered by its sudden companionship. This was the longest time he’d ever spent without Darla and Finn, which was more than enough reason for his lack of conversation.

He wondered what his two best friends were up to. Had they perhaps climbed up to the Wood Rank?

[ That’s only possible if their guardians have to do with combat. ] his guardian responded, making sure her voice was calm enough to meld into his thoughts without rousing him from them.

If his friends hadn’t broken through to Wood Rank, then perhaps they’d found a way. One thing he knew for sure, though, was that they were at least climbing the Glass Rank steadily. What level were they now? He didn’t know… but he sure as hell wanted to find out.

“So, Elite Guardian Academy, huh! You nervous?” Garin’s voice tore through the silence.

“No,” came Alaric’s reply, bearing no emotion whatsoever. It wasn’t a question of whether he was nervous. Alaric was simply too focused on seeing his friends to entertain emotions as trivial as anxiety.

The gargantuan stingray flew through the sky with elegance and grace, cutting through the clouds and offering the boy the best view of the world around them. They flew past mines, forests and canyons filled with all sorts of flora, fauna and aether crystals.

Alaric saw animals eat animals, plants eat plants, animals eat plants and even plants eating animals, each time his face growing paler and paler… and then, he saw a group of men trudging through these same woods.

“How can anyone survive there?” Alaric mused.

“Adventurers. Barbarians that love the thrill of the wild… As long as they are strong enough to ward off demons, then they are strong enough to survive in the woods. Of course, even among demons, some monstrosities pose a threat to the strongest slayer out there but those are rare,” Garin shrugged.

Alaric sensed he could go on and on about the topic, seeing as he had been a part of the same Adventuring party as Sister Marla.

Something had caught Alaric’s attention though, “Barbarians?” he asked.

“Let me just say that after nearly getting all your appendages chomped off, severed, dissolved, shattered or even gnawed off by an endless variety of deadly wild animals and Aether Beasts, adventurers turn out to be a rather rowdy bunch. You can find them a lot in one of three places; Taverns, Guild Halls or somewhere that sells hunting gear,” the man explained in a firm tone.

Alaric found himself chuckling at the explanation, “What’s it like… working for the Tower?”

“Ah, that’s not too stressful. Unless there is an important Seeker that needs to travel, it’s really boring. The Tower is one of the largest gatherings of knowledge on the whole Valerian Continent and for that reason, you can imagine many people would do anything to get their hands on that information.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

We have our fair share of action when something… entertaining happens. Other than that, it’s rather boring. Plenty of the time, I’m not even there,” he shrugged.

LionHeart picked up from there, “There are those of us that are almost always at the Tower, the immediate Guard. Then there are people like Gavin that only come in either when they are called on or when there is a big ceremony like the Appraisal Ceremony.”

“Oh… I’m guessing I’ll be part of the second category then,” Alaric gave a tight smile.

LionHeart chuckled, “Oh no… You’re nothing like us.”

Alaric perked up… ‘We’re different?’

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“You’re going to be pampered by the Tower because you’re strong enough to become a powerful Seeker,” Gunther replied with a sigh, “The Tower is always on the lookout for worthy Seekers to join them. Information is not always easy to get. Strength is important for a Seeker.”

Alaric was now even more confused. Was there perhaps more to the patronage he was about to negotiate terms for? He thought they wanted him to join the Tower… but now something felt off.

[ What’s the meaning of this? ]

[ I remember seeing people dressed in white cloaks in the village through your eyes. Perhaps those are all people that are under an agreement similar to the one we’re about to strike with the Tower ] the guardian replied.

Garin chuckled, “Oh, relax, Alaric. At the Tower of Seekers you’ll find three kinds of people: Seekers, Protectors… and Keepers. Seekers are the ones who dedicate their lives to increasing the knowledge contained within the Tower, updating it and making sure it’s well maintained and used in ways that don’t break their rules.

As you can already tell, information is a very important thing, so it’s common to find strong Seekers. Sadly, that’s not a fact. Weak Seekers do exist. Strength is not an obligation since their job is not to fight.

That’s a job for people like us, Protectors. Protectors are the ones you saw maintaining the peace during the Appraisal Ceremony. Since we are Protectors, we know more about the organisation of Protectors. As you can tell, not all Protectors are made for the same tasks.

The three of us can fly but only I can transport, which makes a little bit more valuable to Seekers that need to travel. Even stronger Protectors are assigned to High-ranking Seekers and Keepers… and so on.”

“What are Keepers then?” Alaric asked.

Garin paused for a bit, then spoke, “Keepers are the guardians of the Tower.”

“Huh?”

Gunther sighed, “Garin just means they are the core of the Tower. Keepers are the Masters of the Tower. Protectors protect the Tower and its Seekers. Keepers, however, are the pillars of the Tower. Our Tower only has two Keepers and even they aren’t seen so often.”

Alaric’s mind was blank, ‘I’m missing something.’

[ You think. These dunderheads haven’t told us anything! ] Alia groaned.

LionHeart, noticing the boy’s confusion, jumped in, “No one knows what Keepers do exactly… and no one’s allowed to know the full details. All we know is that the Four Towers of Seekers all have Keepers and that those Keepers are considered more valuable than the Towers themselves. In any case, I have something more important to tell you.”

“Oh! What is it?” Alaric perked up, shelving the ‘very important’ information the man had just brushed off. How could anything top what he’d just heard?

LionHeart puffed out his chest and took in a deep breath, “I must say this while I still have the chance. Alaric, no matter what happens at that Academy, remember to be faithful to one girl at a time… no matter how beautiful and tempting the others might be.”

Alaric’s mind popped, going blank all at once, “I’m sorry?”

“You know… You can’t date more than one girl at a time,” LionHeart explained.

“Oh…” Alaric paused, blinking, “Okay.”

Gunther covered his face with his palm and spoke through it, “Don’t take this idiot seriously, Alaric.”

Alaric’s mind, however, was churning with confusion, “I can date more than one?”

“Definitely not,” Garin snapped.

“I’m confused,” the boy groaned.

LionHeart laughed loudly. His guardian flew above SwiftWind, and vanished into thin air, dropping his master onto the stingray’s back. LionHeart put a hand around Alaric’s shoulder, “You’re in good hands, Alaric.”

“LionHeart, you’re the last person to be giving Alaric dating advice,” Garin yelled from his place at the reins.

“Are you an expert, Garin?” Alaric asked the man.

Garin remained quiet.

“Garin’s a hopeless case but LionHeart’s shallow ideologues don’t make him a better option,” Gunther sighed.

“You’re one to talk, Gunther,” LionHeart yelled from his place, “Don’t listen to these heathens, Alaric. I’ll give you everything you need to know about women. You see, the first thing you want to make sure of is that you don’t give too much and not give too little either if you know what you mean.”

“Just keep what Marla taught you in mind and you should be fine,” Garin interrupted silently.

Alaric turned red, “You… you heard that?”

“Everyone heard that catastrophe,” Gunther chuckled before the group of men burst into laughter.

“…Your hair is as soft as silk and like rivers of silver, it makes you look like an angel…” LionHeart acted out Alaric’s lines in an exaggerated manner, turning Alaric redder.

The conversation proceeded lightly for the largest part of the journey to the Tower… and it wasn’t long before they arrived. The barren mountains in which the Tower was nestled announced their arrival along with the gentle pulse of magic radiating from the large Aether Orb floating above the Tower.