“Welcome back, Amica. I will admit that I feared that you wouldn’t return for some time after our latest session,” the bronze-ranker clad in the robes of Healer’s clergy said as she sat down in the chair opposite Amica.
The priestess must have been at least a century old, as she was showing clear signs of aging with only a few dark streaks left in her gray hair. Still, her inherent magic had made sure that it was a very dignified kind of aging, leaving her as the very epitome of the kindly grandmother with a soft smile and always ready to lend an ear to one’s trouble. And as she was part of the local branch of Healer’s clergy which specialized in treating issues of the mind, Amica had found it quite suitable. Annoying and frustrating at first, but the results argued for themselves.
“I didn’t think so either,” Amica said, idly levitating a trio of decorative stone spheres. They hadn’t been there the first time she had visited, but had somehow conveniently been on hand for the following three sessions. Each was enchanted to chime softly as they moved, making them the perfect thing for idle hands, tangible or otherwise. “Talking about that time… I get why I haven’t,” she said. Outwardly she was relaxed, but she knew that her aura was trembling slightly.
The priestess noticed too, even if she was of lower rank. One of the suggestions for talks like this was that one should keep one’s aura open, both as the one seeking help and the one giving it. Hence the formations covering the walls to allow for spiritual privacy.
“So why do you think that you did return so soon?” the priestess asked with a soft smile.
“Well, we will start going out on contracts tomorrow.”
“Ah, so you passed the trials here you spoke of before?”
“Yeah. All of us, actually. I thought that either me, Emilio or Gray Sky would have been thrown out somewhere along the way. But we have done surprisingly well. Healer’s he- sorry… I mean, the pair of them are even starting to feel a bit friendly in their headbutting. Like the good kind of rivals.”
“I’m glad to hear it. It sounds like you all could do some good. But back to my question; why did you going out on contracts cause you to come back?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be right just leaving. We’ll be here in between, but you never know if… What I’m trying to say is that you can’t just leave.”
“Then you would be surprised how many still do. Facing yourself is often much more difficult than to face the monsters out there, at least to those of us with power. Then I take it that you have given some thought to my words?”
“I have… And you might be right. About that whole thing with control. I haven’t thought about it that way. Gods, talking about it even sounds a bit like nonsense. Exerting control now to compensate for the control I didn’t have back then… It’s ridiculous… But it also makes sense.”
“From what you have told me, Amica, your realization of this came before you actually hurt someone.” At Amica’s raised eyebrow, the priestess quickly added; “At least someone who wasn’t your enemy.”
“I don’t think Kite feels that way. I don’t blame him. The implications... Apparently I’m kinda bad at control even if it is what I want.”
“Then perhaps you should talk with him about it?”
“Oh no. No, no. Things are fine now. We can work together. He’s all polite as usual. Things are fine. Four more months, and I’ll probably not see him again. No, it is best to leave things be. I’ll do things like this to make sure things won’t ever go so far again. And he can go on with his life too.”
“I… see. Well, at least give it some thought, Amica,” the priestess said with that kind smile and slight knowing look that meant that they both knew that Amica would indeed think about it.
“Gods, you can be frustrating,” Amica said, giving voice to the feeling already obvious in her aura.
“In that, we can agree,” the priestess said, kind smile changing to a benevolent smirk. “And as you seem to have given our past session plenty of thought, I suppose we best get to it then. Before you leave for your contracts, that is.”
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“I will have to bow before your wisdom, venerable Glint. The ocean was indeed something else. To think that so much is down there,” Kite repeated again as they walked through the streets of Port Singhni. They had just finished a two hour tour of the ocean floor, guided by a local bronze-ranker with a power set well-suited to operating under water. Kite had needed to compensate with some rented equipment to get the needed maneuverability to keep up, but seeing all those colorful reefs and stunning amount of exotic marine life had been well worth it.
Glint seemed to agree, spinning in excited loops next to him. It had been nice to enjoy one proper outing in the city, one of many in the past few weeks, because things would change after today. Because today, the group would be portaled out to take on their first, proper contract together as potential members of Task Group Gauntlet. Kite’s things were already packed, and even though they would return to Port Singhni between assignments, it was hard to tell how long they would be back as there was no way of knowing what kind of contracts would crop up.
Senior sister Christine had already told Kite of her own experiences where she had only had time for one protracted assignment, working hard over four months to find and root out a smuggling operation in a major city. They had turned out to be supported by not only criminal elements but also much of the local city parliament and the brother of the sitting duchess, and the assignment of Christine’s group had become so much more complicated than expected.
Kite was surprised that he was actually the last one to arrive for once. Ryker, Mtanga, and Christine were all present in the secluded smaller marshaling yard, with the addition of Ilmaril Thenston and Darnos of the Rending White. His temporary team were all there as well, all standing a bit straighter in the presence of the two gold-rankers. Even Amica seemed to limit her usual telekinetic shenanigans to only her own possessions for once, idly levitating a small halo of quintessence over her head.
“Sir Darnos. Sir Thenston,” Kite greeted, bowing to each man as he took his place next to the others. While he technically wasn’t tardy, Ryker still gave Kite a slight glare at being the latest to arrive. Kite had noticed that Ryker had to focus his apparently permanent state of dissatisfaction on lesser and lesser things as of late, which was probably quite the roundabout compliment as it indicated the lack of actually significant things to criticize.
“Excellent, now we are all gathered,” Darnos said amicably, clapping his scaled hands together. The draconian wore a similarly elegant suit as the first and only time Kite had met him since arriving, and seemed to be in a very good mood. Ilmaril, on the other hand, remained neutral, the blue orbs of his eyes weighing the gathered recruits with somber professionality.
“I am pleased to have been following your progress, even if it was from afar. The weeks of evaluation you have gone through has no doubt been taxing, but I am pleased to see that your batch made it through the trials without any discharges or other incidents,” Darnos continued, seeming to work his way towards a full-on speech.
“To be a member of Task Group Gauntlet is to stand ready to be called in to face some of the most powerful scum of the world. For prospective outer members, such as yourself, you are valued for your competence, power set and, most of all, potential. We would be a foolish organization if we did not step up and contribute to see you improving, after all. Should you pass, you will find yourself acting as our blades, pointed towards whatever horrors are hiding in the less savory parts of society. It will be up to you to carve through whatever opposition you face, and it will be up to us to make sure that you are sharp enough and leveled against a foe where you can best do your part.
For many, the adventure society is merely a convenience; a purveyor of contracts and opportunity. But for some of us, it is an ideal; an organization to gather the mighty to stand between the world and its horrors. Should you pass into our ranks, remember that you will be part of that ideal, no matter your own personal feelings on the matter.
The four months that are to come is where both your work and ours begin. We have already determined your first contract, and you will be portaled out within the hour. Ryker, if you please?”
At Darnos’ words, Ryker produced a series of folders which he handed to each of the five recruits.
“These documents will give you an overview of what we are walking into. And I say ‘we’, as Christine, Mtanga and I will accompany you to continue our roles as observers but also as active participants. As we have said before; this is no simulation. No trial. Real people, both dangerous and innocent, will be affected by what we do here, and the adventure society won’t risk complications by having us remain passive. I will have operational command, but I will also delegate other roles as I see fit. Any questions?”
As none of this was much of a surprise to the recruits, only silence met Ryker’s words. Neither Emilio nor Gray Sky protested in the slightest, but Kite suspected that the gold-ranker’s presence was the greatest contributor to that.
“In your folder, you will also find a preliminary list of mentors and trainers which the adventure society will offer you in between contracts. Some of these might be extended beyond the four month trial period, depending on how we deem your further needs. Do note that the society only supplies the logistics and payment for you to meet such trainers. It will be up to you to actually make use of them and grow from what they have to show you. Ignore their advice at your, and your team’s, peril.”
“Thank you, Ryker,” Darnos said as the human finished his explanation. “Me and Ilmaril will take our leave, although we hope to see all of you in the future as members of the task group. Fight well, adventurers.”
Darnos had barely finished before space folded in on him and Ilmaril both, and a moment later, the two gold-rankers were gone.
“Well, at least it will be easy to prove my superiority in actual combat,” Emilio snorted, immediately proving Kite’s earlier assumption to be correct. “Think that you can keep up? The Regal Mountain Guild isn't exactly known for its speed,” he finished, raising an immaculate eyebrow at Gray Sky.
“Gray Sky is quite certain, foolish fop. The months ahead will make you eat your words, so Gray Sky swears,” the runic countered, and Kite zoned out from their continued bickering, even if neither’s heart seemed to really be in it.
He instead chose to open his folder, sitting down on a piece of conjured barrier to inspect its contents.
“A repeat of the rules of membership… Possible admission into inner membership after exemplary service… Expectations and code of conduct… Compensation for- sweet heavens above!”
Kite almost fell out of his impromptu chair as he took in the different sections listing how much he would be paid for contracts, unforeseen dangers, etc. And it was… a lot. More than his earlier reference of a lot, even.
“It seems like I will have to update said references,” he thought, having to take a few more minutes to process before actually being able to continue.
The contract itself was surprisingly straightforward; the adventure society had caught wind of a small stronghold set up by organized criminal elements in the country of Preza, southeast of the Boreal League. A twist to the story was that it had apparently been done with the assistance of a daughter of the local high magistrate, one of the most prominent families of the whole country. The contract in question was to assist in breaching said stronghold under the cover of a conventional raid by hired adventurers and retrieve the highborn daughter while also killing or apprehending as many of the crime ring’s upper echelons as possible. While it was quite likely that the magistrate’s daughter was indeed an accomplice rather than coerced or manipulated, her father was apparently influential enough to make sure that retrieving her alive for questioning was stressed as one of the main objectives.
“Gold-ranked presence; deemed unlikely,” Kite mused, only then realized that he had murmured it aloud. The others had followed suit in looking through their folders, but his murmur did not escape the hearing of silver-rankers.
“With Preza’s mana density and the impacts on the local stability, it is indeed quite unlikely,” Ryker explained. “The adventure society tries to keep track of every gold-ranker we can, given the chaos they can sow. But every now and then, some unknown appears on the map from the fringes of society, so we can never be entirely sure. There will be gold-ranked support ready to be portaled in, should the need arise, but the risk simply isn’t deemed great enough to warrant an actual deployment.”
Kite nodded in understanding. The gold-ranked population was a sparse one on a scale covering the whole world, with those powerful enough most often living their lives in high-magic zones which could more easily sustain them. Deploying one cost a lot, especially if it was into a zone of lower magic, as their operating expenses were almost always counted in gold spirit coins.
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He continued reading through the known details and expected opposition, being mostly a vague mix of core-users and some ex-adventurers. There were many unknowns, but so far Kite and the other recruits had been taught to expect such vagaries. If the enemy was an entirely known quantity, the expertise of Task Group Gauntlet was rarely needed, after all.
Finally, Kite was just about to get to the list of his preliminary individual training regime when a swirling vertical whirlpool of water appeared in the air of the marshaling yard, forming a gate into empty air.
“It is time,” Ryker called, rising from where he had seated himself and gesturing to the gate. “One at a time, then leave room for the others.”
This gave Kite only a moment to glance over the list of unfamiliar names and designations. Or at least all except one.
As Kite got up and walked towards the portal, he couldn’t help but turn towards Ryker, the last one remaining on this side, and giving him a formal bow.
“It seems that I will be in your care, teacher,” he intoned. Off all the names and designations on his list there had indeed been one quite familiar;
Ryker Lansar. Rank: Silver. Subject of training: Multi-limbed combat.
Ryker, in turn, rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Just get in the portal.”
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Kite had a vague idea of where Preza was located in the world, as it was relatively close to the Boreal League. As Phiona and Rachel Geller had hailed from there, they had shown him their home and surrounding lands on a map.
But as it turned out, even Kite’s vague idea of what the place would be like was way off mark. It was currently early winter in this half of the world, which to Kite had only remained theoretical knowledge when staying in the tropical Port Singhni. He had thought that Preza might be more akin to his home in the Autumn Lands, with their relatively mild climate and beautiful autumns and early winters.
As he exited the portal and was faced with the chilling, slight rain and dark, overcast skies with temperatures not that far above freezing, he was quickly proven how wrong his assumption had been. This wasn’t made better by the city around him being built mostly from slate-gray stone; sturdy constructions that looked more to function than aesthetic sensibilities. The air itself felt both dry yet wet at the same time, with the smell of ocean brine being starkly different from Port Singhni.
It was still only the earliest of morning, with the rays of the pre-dawn sun barely creeping over the eastern horizon. And Gray Sky was the first to voice his thoughts on their latest destination.
“Gray Sky is… Not impressed.”
“I don’t know,” Amica added. “Feels not that far off from what I grew up in. Although early winter isn’t the most charming of seasons to visit.”
“You’re from around here?” Kite asked, Amica shaking her head in negative.
“No, but not too far away. Preza is a rather oblong country, and my home city is just south of it. Ztiegelfort, one of the smaller city states.”
“And, fortunately, it doesn’t matter too much if you like it or not,” Ryker said, having just emerged from the portal behind them. “We’re here to do our contract, and then we’re off again. You’ll see plenty of places both fair and foul. But a word of warning; we’re most often heading to the foul side of things. Ah, I see that our transport is on time.”
Ryker gestured to a series of heidel-drawn carriages approaching, each of the scaled, two-headed beasts of burden a lot more pale in color than Kite was used to. The carriages themselves were of a different make than Kite was used to as well, being both taller and more luxurious than he had expected. As the group split up among the three vehicles, it felt like entering a foreign tea parlor. A very small one, but a tea parlor nonetheless.
Kite made extra sure to sit down carefully at the lush, velvety seat, with Sztyka and Mtanga joining him. While the drizzle outside quickly started turning their view of the outside into a series of blurred lights passing by, the insides were lit by a soft, comfortable glow.
“We’ll be heading for a briefing at the local adventure society branch,” Mtanga explained, his grin as pearly white as ever. “While we are sometimes arriving straight into the thick of it, most contracts have at least a day or two of preparations where we coordinate with the locals before spells and special attacks start flying. How long it takes then varies more. I bet Christine has already told you of her four months of playing hide and seek with some local crime barons and their noble sponsors?”
“She has indeed,” Kite confirmed. “Do you think it will be the same here? The daughter of the high magistrate is involved, after all.”
“Hmm, you can never be sure, but I don’t think so,” Mtanga mused. “Still, we have a lot of support here. Let’s focus on what we know that we’re doing and take the rest as it comes, yes? Gods be willing, we’ll be in and out of that fortress in short order.”
The local adventure society campus looked more like a dour fortress than hub of contracts and commerce with its towering walls and blocky structure. But as they were led inside, Kite was surprised yet again as the insides matched the style of the carriages; luxurious wood paneling, crushed velvet drapes lining each tall window and plenty of art and sculptures on display.
The reception hall was just coming awake with functionaries readying documents at the different counters, only glancing at the group as they were led through the public areas and into the depth of the administration building. It was also with some curiosity that Kite could see how the locals seemed to have prepared for the frequent rains, as every drop left behind by clothing or shoes seemed to just slide off the fine floors and back towards the door as if by a will of its own.
They eventually reached their destination; a conference room which felt more like the dining room of some noble or prominent family, the impression further added to by the small feast of different breakfast dishes that was already waiting for them. Kite was met with a lot of different kinds of vegetables and stews of a kind he had never seen before, noting that the color brown and gray was a lot more prominent here than at home. The coloration aside though, everything smelled delicious and hearty, and as the functionary who had escorted them encouraged the group to dig in, Kite did not hesitate.
“So, how long will we be waiting?” Amica asked the three supervisors, taking a bite from a piece of levitating bread while spooning stew into her mouth with one hand.
“As long as we need to,” Ryker responded, his approach to the food more measured. “As you well know, timing these things with people on the other side of the world is no easy thing. I’m impressed they had food waiting for us on what must have been short notice. Focus on eating up, meditating and going through the details of the contract. When they do arrive, I don’t think we’ll be staying for too long.”
“Oh? What gives you that idea?” Emilio asked, also eating with the measured grace of someone quite used to eating in prominent company.
“Call it a hunch based on experience,” Ryker said, leaning back in his chair. “While many branches are happy to get the support of the Task Group, many of the actual adventurers are not. They feel that we are just glorified and overpaid, coming in and appropriating the locals’ money and prestige. My experience with the adventurers of Preza is that they rarely view us too kindly.”
“Should we expect trouble, then?” Kite asked, once more getting the feeling of being back home with rivalries and pride flaring up to cause trouble.
“No, not really. Only some grumbling. Those worth a damn know that if they had people with the competence to strike like we plan to, they would have already and we would have been called off somewhere else.”
The group only had to wait around half an hour before the local branch director arrived along with a trio of silver-rankers. She was the only core-user among them, as was common for many in the administrative part of the adventure society, but carried herself well and looked every inch the professional with her piercing blue eyes and honey-blonde hair fastened in a neat bun.
“Ladies. Gentlemen. My name is Inese Kantors, branch director. We are pleased that representatives of Task Group Gauntlet have agreed to come here and coordinate with us for the strike that is to come.”
While it was rather obvious that the men and women accompanying her were less than enthused, Kite was pleasantly surprised to see Ryker’s expectations prove true. All three of them chose to keep their gazes ahead after only passing glances, their disgruntled feelings only detected in their auras.
“Branch director. Task Group Gauntlet stands ready to assist you. We would be pleased to start the briefing and planning as soon as possible,” Ryker said, standing up as he nodded a respectful greeting, tamping down on his usual stern demeanor.
“Excellent. As things are already on the move, we shall begin at once,” branch director Kantors said. And just like that, the planning of Kite’s first real assignment as a prospective member of the task group began.
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A flurry of strikes came bearing down on Kite, animated strips of cloth separating to form claws which he knew from experience would rend him as well as most blades. In response, Kite tried to counter through strikes of his own, spectral arms accompanying his own two hands to grab and deflect. And falling short.
He managed to hold his own for a while, but it only took around a dozen seconds for him to feel a hand of sharpened, stiff cloth resting at his throat.
“While it is obvious that you have some training, it is also obvious that it has been scattered and comes from many different sources of varying levels of competence,” Ryker stated, his tendrils and arms of animated cloth retracting back into his cloak. “I state this as fact, not critique. We will need to go several more rounds for me to properly gauge your level. Judging you without other equipment or other essence powers isn’t fair, but it is what I have been tasked with. As a negation confluence, you should be well aware that fighting fair isn’t recommended if you can avoid it.”
“Then I will aim to learn all that teacher has to offer,” Kite said, bowing politely while hiding his smile.
Ryker still seemed to expect Kite to protest or rebel against anything perceived as critique, and Kite in turn delighted to subvert those expectations. In a way, the situation felt rather comforting; like being back during his training beneath Phiona Geller. Ryker was a silver-ranker like him, but not an early one by any means. And from what he had shown Kite so far, he was very good at manipulating and attacking along multiple vectors simultaneously. During their first, short exchange, Kite’s dispelling powers hadn’t really let him bring those skills to bear, but in the sparring they had gotten done so far, the gap in skills was making itself known.
His supervisor-turned-teacher only gave him a flat, stern look in response, but continued.
“Had I not seen it for myself, I would scarcely have thought that the arms came from an item. An odd item for sure, but an item nonetheless. And while the addition to your power set is great, it is something added far later than the rest of your powers. When facing someone with a similar essence power, such as someone with the spider or maybe hand essence, you will almost always find yourself at a disadvantage.”
“If I may ask, where did teacher learn how to control his own powers with such proficiency?” Kite asked, curious. He knew next to nothing of the man, even after having spent two months in evaluations.
Ryker seemed a bit hesitant at first, but shook his head and sighed. “As we won’t set out until tomorrow, I suppose that we have plenty of time to kill. So why not.
If you have to know, my parents as well as their parents were all adventurers. All began with an active career, while some later went on to join the administrative side of things. And like most such families, we have tried to find a niche to build upon so that each generation can better learn from the one before. In our case, we have tried to pick essences or awakening stones often leading to powers to generate additional limbs, physical or otherwise.
As you may have noticed, having more vectors of attack than your opponent will often put you at a distinct advantage, and the Lansars - my family that is - have trained long and hard to learn how to use that advantage. “
“I see. Then I am most grateful for you showing me even glimpses of your heritage,” he said, impressed.
“That’s another odd phrase from you. You Hua-Xian and your poetics. Just complicates things,” Ryker muttered before continuing. “They asked me to teach you, and I wouldn’t be much of a teacher if I held things back. We Lansars are loyal to the adventure society and what it stands for. The society has tasked me with making sure you will realize as much of your potential as possible. If I tried keeping secrets, I would actively work against that task. Which I will not. There are plenty of families hoarding their so-called secrets for their own gains. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about what I think of that.”
“Then I am grateful nonetheless. You have made quite clear what you feel about my homeland and its culture. I appreciate that teacher is able to put those feelings aside.”
“Let’s just get on with the sparring,” Ryker said after a moment of silence, eyebrows creased. “It’s at least a bit convenient for me too, as I throw in some sessions while we’re out on contract. There’s always a day or two of waiting here and there. And as you have a lot to work on, we might as well get started. Tomorrow, things are going down for real. So let’s get ready.”
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While a small cataclysm seemed to be unfolding in the darkness below as adventurer forces were moving in and starting to pressure the defenses of the supposedly hidden fortress of the local crime lords, Kite’s surroundings were surprisingly silent.
He sat crouched along with his group and their supervisors, all of them riding on the back of a gargantuan black Raven, its bonded companion another silver-ranker seated up near the avian’s head. Kite would have expected the wind to roar around him and whipping at his hair, clothes and body, but everything was just… quiet.
After a particularly brilliant beam was discharged down below, punching great cracks in the barrier that defended the hidden complex buried into the side of a small mountain, Ryker spoke. Unlike their surroundings, his voice carried easily even as he spoke softly.
“That was the first breacher ritual. Two more, and the barrier should crumble for a few minutes. That’s when we’ll make the drop. Steiner, you’re carrying Kite and Gray Sky. I will bring Mtanga, and the rest of you are fine on your own. You all know the plan. Now is the time to show that you belong here; that Gauntlet has made the right choice in making a spot for you.”
As he spoke, another beam like the first flashed below, straining the beleaguered barrier even further.
“On my mark,” Ryker said, holding up a hand, eyes fixed on the ground far below. “Ready…” he continued, and even Kite could see the gathering magic below, its visibility from such a distance belying its potency. Then, the beam flashed again, and Kite could easily imagine the spectacular crashing sound which at that moment must be reverberating through the dark, evergreen forests below as the barrier crumbled like a sandcastle before a wave.
“Go!” Ryker commanded, Mtanga already at their side as they leapt off their giant avian transport. Sztyka, Christine and Emilio followed suit, leaving only Kite, Amica and Gray Sky. As many times before, Kite retracted his aura and felt the gentle grip of telekinesis take hold. Even though they had trained a lot together and he did so without hesitation, it still reminded him of that one moment when the grip had started hinting of something not so gentle. Amica seemed to notice as well, seeming to wince ever so slightly, but Kite had already gotten his spirit under control.
Then, just like they had practiced many times before in the mirage chamber, the prospects of Task Group Gauntlet dropped down towards their targets. But this time, their foes were very much real. And very much desperate, cornered. And as it would turn out, out for blood.