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The Hard Way
Awakening

Awakening

Felix eyed the Adventurer guild hall dubiously. While he was feeling confident in his own ability to pass the entrance tests at least, he couldn't help but feel intimidated by the size of the building, and by the varied people moving through its doors. Men and women clad in heavy armor or voluminous robes, swords, bows, staves and daggers marking them out as various kinds of adventurers. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, the young man steps into the guild hall.

Contrary to his expectations, the interior of the building is quiet, the few sounds there are more reminiscent of a muted library than a busy gathering place. Spotting a neatly dressed lady behind a nearby desk, Felix quickly wanders over, his eyes roaming the hall around him. A notice board with a few requests for assistance is conveniently close to the counter, and a flight of stairs to the side leads to the upper levels of the guild hall.

"Welcome to the Wolfspine Adventurer Guild. Are you looking to place a request or to join the guild?" The receptionist greets Felix with a smile, her voice slightly husky.

"Oh, I'd like to join. Can I do that here?" The excitement in his voice earns him yet another smile from the receptionist, who calls over another uniformed lady.

"Please follow me, I'll be leading you to where the entrance tests will be conducted." The new arrival says, indicating the stairs to the side. "It's nothing too stressful I assure you, merely a test to determine your magical talent and if you have met the requirements for any of the classes yet. From there we'll assign you a rank as well as give you an adventurers card that will allow you to claim quests and get in contact with guild representatives as needed." Pausing for a moment, she looks over Felix. "And just in case you're worried about it, the guild doesn't reveal the abilities of any of its members without permission. Obviously we do need to know your capabilities to ensure you don't get sent on a suicidal task, but aside from that, it's entirely your own decision on who you share your abilities and standings with. To ease the process of finding a group to work with, we do indicate your general rank in the guild on your adventurers card, so people would be able to get a general sense of your skill level."

Having lead the eager applicant along the corridors while briefing him on the basics of the guild, they find themselves standing in front of an elegantly carved wooden door. His guide merely nods at the door, and follow her prompting Felix pushes it open, his eyebrows raising in surprise at the sight of a grizzled dwarf and wizened half-orc sitting behind a table in the middle of the room.

"A new applicant? That's the third in the last hour already." The dwarf speaks, his sonorous voice echoing lightly in the quiet room. Stepping into the room, the door closes behind Felix, as the half-orc waves him to a seat in front of him.

"Lets get this started quickly, it's almost time for lunch, and I'd rather not miss it because of some over-excited farmboy. Now, we're going to ask you a series of questions, mostly related to your background. Answer as truthfully as you can, and save your own questions for later, got that?" The half-orc watches Felix, his eyebrows raised in question. Seeing the young man nod, he continues.

"Name and age?"

"Felix Brightstar, eighteen."

The half-orc opens his mouth to continue before realizing what the young man in front of him had just said. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, he turns to look at his dwarven companion, only to find the same look of surprise on his face.

"Did you just say Brightstar. As in Illeana Brightstar?"

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"That's right." Felix answers simply.

Looking back at the dwarf, the half-orc coughs slightly, and the dwarf lets out a groan. As the dwarf begins to mumble an incantation, the half-orc looks back at Felix, explaining.

"We'll be setting up a magical field to determine if you are lying to us for further questions, Mr Brightstar. Normally we would only use this later, but given your name, it might be best for us all to ensure that there are no oversights." The dwarf finishes casting his spell as a wave of light fills the room momentarily, fading quickly into the walls. Nodding at the sight, the half-orc begins to question Felix again.

"Your name is Felix Brightstar and you're eighteen years old?"

"That is correct." The dwarf grunts in agreement at the words.

"Are you wanted for any crimes?"

"No, I'm not wanted for anything."

"Do you already possess a class, and if so, what is it."

"I don't have a class."

"Have you ever been tested for magical potential before?"

"Never." A grunt of agreement from the dwarf follows each of Felix's answers and the half-orc nods to himself, drawing a crystal orb from a drawer in the table.

"Put your hand on the orb, and we'll activate it, determining your magical potency and potential. Once we've recorded that, we'll move on to the next test, which will be a basic ability test designed to determine your practical application of mana and potentially access any classes that you might have already met the requirements for."

Felix nods, his hand resting gently on the glowing orb. The dwarf waits a few moments before placing his own hand on the orb as well, and it glows slightly brighter. Removing his hand, the dwarf watches as the orb dims again, before nodding to the half-orc. The half-orc repeats the process, placing his hand on the orb, watching it react as it grows brighter, and then frowning as the orb goes dim once his hand is removed.

Felix gives a small yelp of surprise as a notification window appears in his vision, the glowing blue box directly above the orb. Surprise is replaced by confusion and then disappointment as he reads the contents of the window.

Magical Ability: None

The half-orc and the dwarf read the notification themselves, looking at each other in confusion. Eventually the half-orc breaks the silence.

"I understand it's not what you wanted to see, but I'm afraid the reading has never been wrong before. We can retry it if you want, but I don't think it will change. Given that your magical ability is... well non-existent, my personal advice would be to stop here, and not take the final test required to become an adventurer. Without magic, an essential component of the class and ability system, its likely to be dangerous for you." His voice is lined with sympathy and confusion in equal measure.

Felix gingerly lifts his hand off of the orb, his face conflicted. After a moment he shakes his head. "Would it be ok if I tried at least? That way I can at least know for sure if I can't do it." He askes, his voice cracking slightly.

Exchanging another look, the two testers nod, and lead him into the next room. A small magical circle is inscribed in the center of the floor, and as each of the take up a position on opposite walls, the indicate for Felix to stand on the circle. The dwarf speaks first, his voice echoing in this room as well.

"Normally the applicants have to activate the magical circle themselves, which in turn transports them to a small three room dungeon. Once there, you can only get back by clearing all three rooms. After the final room is cleared, you'll be automatically returned here. The only other way back is if a certain amount of time passes before you can clear the three rooms. If that happens, the outcome is considered a failure and you'll be returned to this point." The dwarf nods to the half-orc who continues to speak.

"Once you arrive you'll find yourself in a small room along with a chest. The chest has a few basic weapons. Normally you'd use a combination of magic and weapons to clear the dungeon, along with any skills you may have picked up before this. Again, under normal circumstances when you complete the third room any classes you might have fulfilled the requirements for are revealed to you, thanks to a magical enchantment there, however given your unique nature of not having magic, I doubt this will be the case for you. If you want to back out, this is the last chance you'll have to do so."

Felix nods, taking all the information in. Shaking his head at the half-orcs words, he takes his place on the magic circle.

"Please activate the circle."

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