The morning sun crept through the stained glass windows of the Adventurers Guild hall, casting vibrant patterns on the stone floor as Lorelai, Aeryn, and Thrax approached the registration desk. Behind it stood the same scarred receptionist from the day before, her sharp eyes narrowing as they approached.
“Back again?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Here to join the guild, then?”
“Yes,” Lorelai replied confidently. “We’d like to register.”
The woman sighed, pulling out a stack of parchment and an inked quill. “Fine. Names, classes, and levels.”
Lorelai hesitated, then spoke, “Lorelai, Martial Force Class level eleven.”
The receptionist’s pen froze mid-stroke. “Eleven?” Her eyes flicked to Aeryn and Thrax. “And you two?”
“Aeryn, level eleven Blood Witchblade ,” Aeryn said, her tone even.
“Thrax level eleven Thermic Predator,” Thrax added, his golden eyes daring the woman to comment.
The receptionist set the quill down with a scoff. “You’ve got to be joking. The lowest rank in the guild is F, but even that’s scraping the barrel. You’re all barely out of the academy, did you even graduate?”
“We didn’t,” Lorelai admitted. “We were sent on an assignment, but that doesn’t mean we’re incapable.”
The receptionist pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look, we don’t usually take applicants below level 20, and that’s being generous. However, since you all have hidden classes I will make an exception...” She waved over a nearby guild member, a lean man with short brown hair and a quiver slung across his back.
“Caden!” she called. “We’ve got some fresh recruits for you to assess.”
Caden sauntered over, his casual demeanor a stark contrast to the intensity of his sharp blue eyes. He sized them up quickly, his lips curling into a faint smirk.
“These three? They don’t look like much.”
“Don’t judge by appearances,” Lorelai said, her violet eyes meeting his.
Caden chuckled. “Alright, rookies. Let’s see what you’ve got. Meet me in the training yard in five minutes.”
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The training yard was bustling with activity as adventurers sparred and practiced their skills. Caden stood in the center of a cleared area, his longbow resting casually against his leg. The trio faced him, their weapons ready. Lorelai’s hand rested on the hilt of her sword, her violet eyes locked on Caden. Her breathing was steady, though a flicker of determination burned beneath her calm exterior.
“This is simple,” Caden said, nocking an arrow with practiced ease. “Show me you can fight, think, and work together. Don’t hold back—I won’t.”
Aeryn twirled her bloodstone rapier with a flourish, the crimson blade catching the light. She crouched slightly, ready to spring into action. Beside her, Thrax hefted his massive greataxe, the weapon’s dark steel edge gleaming ominously. He rolled his shoulders, his scaled forearms flexing as he readied himself for the fight.
Caden nocked an arrow and gave a lazy smirk. “Show me what the academy taught you. Impress me—if you can.”
“Don’t blink,” Lorelai said, her voice steady.
Before they could respond, Caden loosed the arrow. It streaked toward Thrax, who raised his axe in time to deflect it with a loud clang.
“Guess we’re starting,” Thrax growled, charging forward.
With a sharp burst of speed, Lorelai dashed forward, leaving behind an afterimage that shimmered for a brief second before vanishing. Caden’s arrow flew straight at her, but her swift movement had already carried her to his side, the arrow eliminating the afterimage. In one fluid motion, she pulled a spear from her spatial storage, the weapon appearing in her hand as if it was pulled from a pool of water, ripples coming out of the air. She thrust it toward Caden’s chest, forcing him to twist away.
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“Well, that’s new,” Caden muttered, leaping back to gain distance.
Before he could loose another arrow, Thrax was upon him, his massive greataxe swinging down with the force of a falling boulder. Blue flames erupted from the blade mid-swing, the heat palpable even from a distance.
“Titan’s Fury: Cleaving Edge!” Thrax roared, the ground cracking under the weight of his attack.
Caden narrowly rolled to safety, his smirk fading. “You’re serious, excellent.”
As he readied another shot, Aeryn a dizzying flurry of strikes lashed out, forcing Caden to backpedal. She moved like a shadow, her rapier a blur as it aimed for his exposed sides and arms. She appeared in his blind spot, her rapier flashing in a series of lightning-fast strikes, but Caden sidestepped gracefully, loosing another arrow at Aeryn. She sidestepped the arrow, retreating to the edges of the yard.
“Not bad,” Caden said, his eyes scanning the area. “But you’ll have to do better than—”
"Zakir!" Lorelai’s voice rang out, and a burst of crimson light sped toward him. He dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast. A gaping hole left in perimeter wall of the training floor.
“Didn’t expect that,” he muttered, drawing two arrows at once and firing them in rapid succession.
The fight continued in a whirlwind of movement. Thrax’s powerful strikes forced Caden to stay on the defensive, while Aeryn’s hit-and-run tactics kept him constantly on edge. Lorelai unrelenting assault with powerful magic and swift strikes made it difficult for him to keep his distance as an archer. What made it more difficult is Lorelai would seemlessly switch from a sword to a spear and back making her threat range hard to predict.
By the time Caden called for a halt, he was drenched in sweat and breathing hard, his quiver nearly empty. A grin spread across his face as he lowered his bow.
“Alright, rookies. You’ve got some skill. You work together and play each other's strengths flawlessly. You three will be quite fearsome once you level up some.”
The receptionist appeared at the edge of the yard, arms crossed. “Well?”
“They’ll do,” Caden said. “For F-ranks.”
The receptionist smirked. “Congratulations. You’re officially the bottom of the barrel.”
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As an additional entry requirement they were given another assignment. The guild hall buzzed as the receptionist handed them a writ bearing the guild’s seal, “Your assessment’s not quite over yet,” she said. “There’s a steel-fur wolf causing trouble in the forest to the south of the city. Bring it down, and skin it for proof to earn your first contract. Oh and do try to keep the skin in tact, its quite valuable.”
“A steel-fur wolf?” Aeryn asked. “Aren't those difficult to kill? Let alone trying to keep its skin in tact?”
“This is how the guild turns a profit my dear,” the receptionist replied, "you're free to give up on being associated with the adventurer's guild."
"What is the strength of a wolf like that?" Asked Lorelai curiously.
"They are probably the strength of the floral boss on the second floor, but also tougher and most certainly a higher level than the one we faced," Aeryn quickly explained.
"We can only try, let's go," Lorelai said shuffling the two out the guild's door.
The trio set out that afternoon, returning to the forest they had passed through days earlier, though a completely different section. The woods felt darker on this side of the city, the air heavy with tension, the faint chirping of birds and rustling of leaves was the only sound as the trio moved deeper into the woods. There are areas that higher level monsters reside and this was the foreground to one such area.
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Unbeknownst to them, a man in a dark cloak followed their every step. His movements were silent, his figure blending seamlessly with the shadows. His gaze lingered on Lorelai and Aeryn, his lips curling into a wicked grin. He had seen them spar in the training yard, but it was Lorelai who intrigued him most. As she moved through the forest, her presence seemed to glow faintly, an unearthly aura emanating from the gait in her stride to the way she brushed hair out of her eyes, her every action was filled with something inexplicably more.
“You seem more than you appear,” he whispered, his grin widening. “I'll see what secrets you're hiding.”
The man’s heart raced as he imagined the riches he could fetch. For now, he would watch—and wait.
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They found the gigantic steel-fur wolf near a shallow creek, its silver coat gleaming like polished metal and worse yet, it was level twenty. The creature growled low, its yellow eyes locking onto them as it crouched, ready to pounce.
“Thrax, hold its attention!” Lorelai ordered, swapping her spear and sword for her fists, "No weapons! We need to preserve the fur!"
Thrax stepped forward, his axe igniting with blue flames. “Come on, then!” he bellowed, slamming the weapon into the ground and sending a wave of fire toward the wolf.
The wolf darted to the side with incredible speed, its claws ripping through the earth as it charged Thrax.
Aeryn moved in a blur, striking from the side. Her rapier’s strike aimed for its eyes, but glanced off the wolf’s metallic fur, she danced away before it could retaliate.
“It’s too fast!” she called out.
“Not for long,” Lorelai said, her voice calm. She raised her hands and a pulse of gravity magic rained downard: Oppression, restricting the wolf’s movements.
Thrax roared as he swung his fists in a hooking arc, connecting with the creature’s flank. Ice spread from the point of impact, freezing the fur and skin beneath.
Lorelai dashed forward, her arms crackling with crimson lightning. She delivered a powerful open handed palm strike into the wolf’s ribs, the electricity coursing through its body.
The wolf howled, its movements grew sluggish only briefly before returning to its previous agility as it shrugged off the lightning.
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From the shadows, the cloaked man watched the fight with growing interest.