The adventurers guild in Rainy Hollow was small, tucked in between the candlemaker’s shop and a closed-down inn. When Aurelia and Belle walked inside, Aurelia noticed how empty it was inside. To either side of the front entryway were a couple of tables and chairs, though they looked like they hadn’t seen much use. At the opposite end of the room, a shorter man stood behind a counter, frantically looking through the books and papers piled in front of him.
“Hey Ottie!” Belle called out to the man.
The man looked up, his face pinched with worry. As he spotted Belle, his face relaxed slightly. “Belle, my dear, what brings you over here? And who is your friend?”
“I finally found a group to adventure with!” Belle exclaimed with a smile. She then gestured to Aurelia, “This is my new friend, Aurelia, we will be on the same team together.”
Ottie looked between Belle and Aurelia, a considering look on his face, “Just you two?”
“Oh, definitely not. Zen and Justin are going to join Aurelia and me.”
A smile arose on Ottie’s face, “Of course! Those two were looking for an excuse to finally get out there and start adventuring.” He winked at the two young women, “And I am sure a pair of capable women like yourself would have been a good incentive.”
“Oh whatever, Ottie. I’ve asked those two plenty of times before and they told me no. I’m sure it was the dungeon that finally convinced them to just suck it up and join my team.”
Ottie laughed, “Yes, I am sure that had something to do with it. Speaking of which,” he turned to one of the piles on the desk, pulling out two pieces of parchment, “I have these forms you’ll need to fill out to be registered as adventurers. You two can get started, I assume Justin and Zen will be coming by sometime soon?”
Aurelia and Belle each took a form, along with a quill pen and an ink pot. Aurelia nodded as Belle answered, “Yes, they should be here anytime.”
Ottie ushered them to a table nearby and helped them fill out the forms. Aurelia had to write in the common Eldria language for the first time, which first felt awkward to her but as they moved down the form, it became easier to write in the characters rather than the letters of English. The form was basically background information about the aspiring adventurer, like name, place of registration, class, rank, physical description, and more. Ottie told the two girls that they were in no way required to fill out every little detail.
“The adventurers guild implemented this recently to help better understand the guild’s members. It says it here on the form, but the guild keeps track of assignments and quests that you take, and will also keep track of any trouble that you might get into in the future. I recommend putting down your physical description, it helps you get out of trouble in case you lose your badge or whatever. As for your class and rank, you don’t need to put those down, especially as classes upgrade and are different from what you first put down.”
It was news to Aurelia that classes could be upgraded, she would ask Belle about that later. After signing the forms, they handed them back to Ottie. The older man walked back over to the counter and put the forms into a chest of folders. After he was finished, he asked the girls to wait there and he walked into the backroom of the guild. A few seconds after he left, the front door to the guild opened, and three young men walked in. Zen, Justin, and a third young man entered and walked over to the sitting Aurelia and Belle.
“Corbin? What are you doing here?” Belle looked up, confused, as Aurelia used her identify skill on the newcomer.
Name: Corbin
Age: 23
Race: Human
Rank: Lord
Class: 2/2
Main Class: Scholar
Level: ?
Secondary Class: Rogue
Level: ?
Health: ?
Mana: ?
Stamina: ?
Aurelia was surprised to see that she couldn’t see everything about Corbin using the skill. Either his level was extremely higher than hers, or what she thought was more likely, he had the skill to obscure his levels. He was also one of the few she had identified who had more than one class. Belle had an open class slot, but she hadn’t identified many people with more than one class. It was also interesting to note that Corbin was of the lord rank, just like that Robin guy from the tavern. That thought made her pause and Aurelia looked closer at Corbin. Could they be related?
“I’ve come to join your team,” Corbin answered Belle’s question, his chin raised slightly.
Belle stood up and crossed her arms, “What do you mean you’ve come to join my team? I hardly even know you, besides, would your father even allow you to join a team of commoners?” Belle gave an unfriendly look.
Corbin didn’t seem affected by her words, just taking a few steps forward and looking down at Belle. “My father doesn’t care what I do, he’s too worried about making sure my brother, Sabin, is ready to take over when he dies and getting my sister married off. With all the fuss over the new dungeon, along with the duke and baron arriving later today, he could care less what happens with me.”
Zen and Justin walked closer until all five of them were standing in a circle, looking at each other. Aurelia looked between the four of them and suddenly had the strongest feeling rise within her. It felt as if something had been made right, and that she was exactly where she was supposed to be. Her breath caught in her chest and her vision blackened, until she fell to the floor, unconscious.
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As Aurelia was passed out on the floor, her mind was elsewhere. She stood near a lake in a wooded glade, the sun low in the sky barely giving off any light. The stars had begun to shine in the night sky, though she could still see the purples and oranges of sunset. The glade was full of glowing blue and purple flowers and all she could think was how beautiful it was. Until Aurelia realized that she should still be in the adventurers guild in Rainy Hollow. Yet, wherever she was now, it felt completely real. She could feel the cool breeze on her skin and the soft grass underneath her feet. Aurelia looked down and found herself wearing a simple white slip.
She looked around her once more, trying to discern if anyone was there with her. All she saw was a white dove as it flew over the lake in her direction. Aurelia continued to stare at the bird, sensing that the bird was more than it appeared. A few seconds later the dove landed in the grass beside her. As Aurelia watched, the dove glowed with a golden light, then the glow expanded until Aurelia was suddenly looking at a woman with white wings, rather than a dove. The woman was tall and extremely beautiful, with long chestnut hair and her wings spread out beside her.
“Are you an angel?” Aurelia found herself asking.
The woman smiled, “Of a sort,” she paused looking Aurelia up and down, “I am no messenger of a god, but I am a part of the angelic race. Do you know why you are here, Aurelia?”
“You know my name?” Aurelia couldn’t help but ask. When the woman merely nodded, Aurelia decided to just answer the question. “No, I have no idea why I am here. I have no idea where here is, or who you are.”
“I am not at liberty to answer those questions, but I can tell you one thing.” Her face seemed to become grave, “The the Orb of Intercise and Space that lies nestled within your spirit is not meant to be held by a human. It gives you power usually found within higher beings, resulting in various side effects. One effect that matters right now is how it has affected your rank abilities.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“My rank abilities? You mean like how my rank is princess?”
“Precisely. I know you are still new to Eldria, but rank has more of an effect on users than most people know. With your rank, you have hidden abilities that may or may not manifest in your lifetime. The energy from the orb has tapped into one of those abilities and magnified it to an unmanageable degree.” The woman paused, “What I mean to say is, without my intervention, you would be dead now.”
Aurelia felt her heart pang with fear at the words. “I almost died?”
“Yes. I have stopped the orb from becoming unstable, for now, but you will need to find a way to better control the orb in the future. If no action is taken, you will die, and you may take those around you to the grave as well.”
Aurelia had a million questions racing through her head, wanting to understand what the angel woman was talking about. “How can I control it? What kind of abilities are you talking about?”
“I cannot answer that, child. I have stretched the limits of how much I can interfere, so it is up to you, now.”
Before Aurelia could say anything more, the woman waved her hand and her vision darkened once more.
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Aurelia woke to the sound of Belle’s worried voice. “What do we do? Should we grab a healer?”
“There’s nothing wrong with her, my skill says she has full health. Let’s just wait a bit longer, surely she will wake back up soon,” another voice chimed in.
The soothing sound of Ottie’s voice was next, “I believe our sleeping friend is waking up. Hush all of you, even I am getting a headache.”
Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw a crowd of heads around her. “Seriously, guys? Move away, move away!” Aurelia sat up as her onlookers moved back.
“Seven heavens, Aurelia, you scared us!” Belle was the first face that came into focus above her.
Aurelia thankfully felt no worse for wear, and just smiled back at Belle. “I’m sorry for scaring you, I feel just fine. How long was I out?”
Zen looked at her, still worried, “Only like five minutes, but it was scary the way you dropped with no warning.”
Aurelia got to her feet, not wanting to lay on the wooden floor of the adventurer's guild any longer. As she did so, she realized she had a new notification waiting for her to view. Deciding to look through it quickly, she pulled up the screen.
Congratulations, User [Aurelia]!
You have unlocked a new ability!
Amaril’s Fortune:
When the system first appeared in Eldria war and strife were more common than peace. Amaril was the first user in Eldria to gain the rank of Princess and help establish Eldria’s first system-recognized kingdom. This ability helped her to make choices aligned with her goal of making peace and prosperity for her subjects and family.
The ability description was less of telling her how it worked and more on the lines of a history lesson. Still, Aurelia knew that it was this ability that had activated, strengthened by the orb, and caused her to almost die. If it weren’t for the angel woman, Aurelia would be dead. She grabbed Belle’s offered arm for support, thanking her for the help. Aurelia looked around at what might be her new team. Belle, Zen, Justin, and Corbin looked back at her and Aurelia once again felt a feeling of peace. This feeling gave her a certainty that not only should she make sure the five of them became a team, but also the knowledge that she could trust each of them. Aurelia would have to research her ability later, as well as find out who the angel woman was.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Justin asked her.
Aurelia nodded, “I promise, I’m fine. We can talk more about it later, for now, I believe we still have to register as a team.” she smiled.
Belle looked uncertain, “Are you sure? All of us?” she looked to Corbin as if to say, ‘Even him?’.
“All five of us. Are you guys in?”
“Absolutely!”
“Of course!”
“It’s why I’m here.”
As Justin, Zen, and Corbin were filling out their personal application forms, Ottie picked up two items from the counter. “I got these from the back while you were passed out. I recommend you don’t lose these, or you have to pay the fee all over again.”
Ottie handed Aurelia and Belle a circular badge each. The badge seemed to be made out of a white stone, which Ottie said was quartz. It had a symbol engraved on each side, colored in an iridescent orange. Aurelia knew the symbol meant topaz, but didn’t know why the badge had the word topaz engraved upon it.
“You do know the different adventurer guild ranks, right?” Ottie asked the five once they all had their badge.
“I don’t,” Aurelia spoke up.
“Well, the adventurer guild has five ranks, which are based on the level and skill of each adventurer. For the most part, novice-rank adventurers who are under level twenty-five get the topaz badge. Apprentice rank from levels twenty-five to forty-nine get an emerald badge. Adept rank from levels fifty to ninety-nine gets a ruby badge. Journeyman from levels one hundred to one hundred forty-nine get a sapphire badge and if you are at master rank at level one hundred fifty or above, then you get an obsidian badge. However, I don’t know of anyone in Gildenshores who has an obsidian badge. It is also important to note that if you have more than one class, it is acceptable to add the levels of your classes together and get a badge equal to that number.” Ottie looked to Corbin who nodded. “A higher badge will get you access to better amenities at adventurer guilds across the country and even in other countries around Eldria. You will also be able to accept more difficult quests from the guild, which means more money in your pockets.”
Ottie clapped his hands together, “Alright, now that you are all registered, I need to know what team name you will use. So, what will it be?”
The five looked at each other for a second, Zen shrugged, Justin looked unconcerned, Corbin looked contemplative, and Belle just looked excited. Aurelia could think of plenty of ridiculous team names, but she didn’t think a name like ‘the blue socks’ would be a good name for an adventuring team.
“How about Hollow’s Protectors?” Belle suggested.
“That’s basically the same name that my brother’s team has,” Corbin objected. “We need something a bit different.”
“Like what?” Belle huffed.
“We could do something with ‘rainy’ in the name,” Zen said.
“Nah, not for an adventuring name,” Justin shook his head.
“What about the name ‘Evertide’?” Aurelia asked.
“Sure.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t actually care that much.”
Belle opened her mouth as if to object, paused, and then slowly nodded, “Yeah I guess that works. I mean if we take too long on a name, we will be here forever.”
With that settled, Ottie finished their paperwork and gave them a parchment confirming their registration as an adventuring team. Corbin held the parchment in front of him, seemingly scanning it from top to bottom for any potential mistakes. “Okay, I think we are ready to go. Looks good, Ottie.” Corbin looked at the man.
“Sure, sure. I still have to finish getting ready for our esteemed guests. I also have a feeling this guild may need some renovations if we are to host a dungeon near our village. No matter who ends up in control of it, I still have to be the one taking care of any adventurers who come by. As for you five, if you do end up entering that dungeon, I will pay for any details you have. Knowing what might be faced inside will help any potential dungeon divers in the future.”
They all gave their assent to the man, then began to start walking out of the adventurers guild. Before any of them could walk too far away, Aurelia stopped the group. “Hey, guys? I have something to ask of each of you.” They all looked back at her.
“What is it?” Belle asked
“I know we just became a team and I hardly know you, but I need to know how dedicated you all will be to the team. Are you willing to trust me, and can I trust you?” Aurelia asked.
Thankfully, they all seemed to take what she said seriously. Corbin especially looked contemplative. “I know you all might have secrets you want to keep, but for this to work well, I think we should at least have a basic understanding of one another. Belle, can you take us to where we first met?” Belle’s eyes widened at the question. “I know it might not be just your secret to share, but we might need Marge’s help before this day is through. What do you think?”
“Alright, Evertide,” Belle said. “Follow me.” Without another word, the five of them moved down the main busy street and into the Orphaned Hen tavern. Belle had a quick word with Ivan before they moved into the back hallway and towards the storage room. As they crowded around the trapdoor, Belle looked up at them.
“I may get in trouble for this, especially with you, Corbin, but let’s do this.” Belle swung open the trapdoor and they followed her down the ladder, Aurelia bringing up the rear.
The three boys seemed shocked at the underground passageways made by Belle’s mysterious group but stayed quiet despite their obvious curiosity. Belle led them down a new path Aurelia hadn’t been last time and herded them into a room filled with a single table and chairs. As they all sat down, Aurelia’s four teammates looked to her. The sudden weight of their gazes made Aurelia suddenly nervous.
Aurelia looked at Belle, “Is it safe to talk in here?”
Before Belle could answer, Corbin raised a hand as a gesture for silence, then turned his attention to a ring on his left hand. He seemed to focus on the ring, then after a brief flash of white light, the diamond on the ring began to give off a slight glow. “Alright, we can now speak without any fear of being overheard. I give you my word that whatever is said in this room with this ring aglow, will stay between us. I know what it means to be on a team, and I choose you all for a reason. I am willing to share what I can, to gain your trust.” He nodded to Aurelia, “I believe you said you had something important to share?”
Aurelia nodded, “Yes, what I have to say is important. To be honest, I am out of my depth, but I am trying my best. Though, I think it might be best to start near the beginning,” Aurelia took a deep breath, “I am the one who claimed the dungeon.”
“WHAT?!”
“What did you say!?”
“You can’t be serious!?”
“By the nine hells…”