--------///----Reina's Pov----\\\--------

When the goatkin old man said that, i knew he really was the one that mom and auntie had mentioned. When i fully made the connection i couldn't help but say what i was thinking... Out loud.

(Reina) " They were literal... "

The guildmaster snorted at that and patted my shoulder with a calloused hand the size of my head.

(???) " Let me guess. "Old Goat" right? "

I just nodded my head at that since it was all mom would ever call him. She never even used his name it was always just "Old goat". When he saw that he just shook his head and sighed.

(???) " Haaah. That girl was always so rambunctious. Please tell me she's atleast become more refined since she became the queen. "

I didn't notice it before but the guildmaster looked like he was... Worried? About my answer. I didn't have the heart to lie to him.

(Reina) " ... I'm sorry. "

The guildmaster closed his eyes and sighed. It looks like he was really hoping mom changed... Now i feel bad. 

(Reina) " Um. She's gotten... Ummm... I really want to say anything good but i... Don't have anything to say that might help... "

The guildmaster just sighed again but he had a little smile on his face.

(???) " It's fine. Having that hellion change would be a miracle. One would think that becoming a queen and a mother would help with her impulsiveness. "

He stopped talking and just looked at me in my eyes and gave me a serious look and said.

(???) " Please tell me you took more from your father atleast. I don't think i could handle another one of her. "

I got a little embarrassed and was right about to say something but Mina beat me too it.

(Mina) " She takes after Arg. You won't have problems with Reina. "

Having Mina back me up felt good. Then Endis ruined the moment by just dropping what we just learned a little while ago.

(Endis) " Though if she runs off to conquer a kingdom we'll tell you first. "

That got some confused looks from everyone within earshot. But me and Mina knew what he meant and obviously reacted differently since i flinched and Mina smaked him on the back of the head. The guildmaster obviously picked up on our different reactions and seemed to get an idea from them.

(???) " That... Come on up to my office, we'll continue this upstairs. Nindal you did well. Your pay will be in your account in a minute. "

(Nindal) " Thank you sir! "

(???) " Yea yea. Try not to use it all in the same bar. "

(Nindal) " No promises sir! "

(Endis) " A bar huh? That'll do. "

After the guildmaster told Nindal about his pay, we started making our way up to his office. The other people in the lobby kept looking at us and i could see alot of them must've known about my parents history. When we got up to the second floor i saw that it just looked like a hallway with rooms on either side of the walls. I thought they were rooms for adventurers to rest in but i could just ask mina later. When we started to go up the stairs to his office it was easy to see that the ceiling was tall enough just to accomodate the guildmaster. The same went for the door since it was atleast as tall as he was.

When he opened the door i could see the room was all wood yet the floor seemed to be sleek planks covered by a light blue fur carpet. In the center of the room, infront of his desk were two couches and a table that grew from spots where the fur was open. The walls looked nice and smooth and they looked like they were natural, the shelves that grew from the walls looked just as smooth as everything else in the room. His desk which like everything else, grew from the floor but if you didn't look too hard you'd just think it was placed there. His desk had a pile of papers and behind it there seemed to be a place for his war hammer. The shelves were lined with books, scrolls, and something else which i couldn't make out from the front of the door.

The guildmaster seemed to get a chuckle out of me just looking at the room. Mina and Endis had already made themselves at home on the couches. Endis kicked his leg up at one point but Mina just smacked it to put it down.

(???) " You know you can keep looking while your seated. We've alot to talk about it seems. "

Following what he said i went over and sat next to Mina. We were all on the same couch which was comfortable since the only thing wooden about it was the frame. The guildmaster sat on the couch opposite to us and started off.

(Ganton) " Now then. Since i doubt your mother used my name whenever she reffered to me i'll start there. My name is Ganton Olturan and i'm the guildmaster of the Cindal branch adventurers guild. Two weeks ago i was sent a message about your arrival and to find a day to make a spot in the teleportation artifacts schedule for you. So tell me what led to this and be truthful. I know your mother wanted this, but your father would rather slay a dragon then put you in harms way. So why now of all times did he agree? "

Right out of the gates and he was already starting with a difficult question. I wanted to say why but at the same time i was a bit reluctant about what to say and what not to say. Suddenly i felt Mina tap on my shoulder and looked up to her.

(Mina) " Do you want me to take over? I don't mind. "

(Reina) " Yes. Please. "

Mina nodded and looked to Mr.Ganton and started off.

(Mina) " This'll take a bit to explain but bear with me. "

(Ganton) " As long as as it's the truth then i don't mind how long it'll take... Actually give me a moment to let the staff know not to interrupt. "

Mr.Ganton got up and walked over to the door and opened it. Then he stuck his head out and shouted.

(Ganton) " NO ONE BOTHER ME UNLESS IT'S URGENT. "

After he was done with that, he shut the door and came back to us and sat down again.

(Ganton) " Go ahead and begin. I'll try not to interrupt until the end. "

(Mina) " It all started about a month ago when... "

Mina started explaining from when Martiq ran through her town, she told him about the Sandman root which auntie told her about, which elicited a sad look from him aimed towards me. But when she brough up Losine the first time, Mr.Ganton had a reaction we didn't expect. 

(Ganton) " HUUUH YOU'VE MET HER!? "

When he shouted that, seemingly out of nowhere, it was an obvious shock. But after a few seconds when he was calm again he started explaining why he reacted that way. 

(Ganton) " Back in the empire's capital we're taught about Her majesties upbringing and what the defining moment that led her to be who she is now, was. In class we are taught about her meeting with the Eclipse Wolf Losine and how that meeting changed her life and our future. Now obviously we aren't taught about emblems and oaths but if you look into the literature, we have hints of their existence. Yet to think you've all met her and you two have oaths from her and her husband... Amazing. "

(Mina) " Well i don't know about her husband since he would've just given me the emblem unless me and Elaine asked for his challenge. But it's definetly been eye opening ever since this all started. And theres still more to go. " 

(Ganton) " Well then lets continue. "

On Mr.Ganton's que, Mina started telling him about the rift underneath the castle. Which Endis decided to interrupt and say.

(Endis) " Yea that thing was fucking terrifying. I thought they were exaggerating when they said it made them feel helpless but when i walked up to it i felt like i was gonna die. Luckily that's going to be the last one so we've got a long time before that becomes an immediate threat. "

Mr.Ganton sat back and started running his hand through his hair.

(Ganton) " I understand what you're saying but for the other races that's a bad thing. To humans 40 years is a long time that can seem like a fleeting worry. However compared to elves, beastkin, dwarves and beasts... 40 years isn't so far away. That can also be applied to you, Reina and Mina. Thanks to your oath and emblem you've gained at the very least, a few extra decades of youth to your lifespan.

I don't know much about Eclipse Wolves aside from what i've learned of Losine so i don't know exactly how much you've gained usually its atleast 1/4 of that beasts total lifespan. However with what you have gained i can confidently say that eventually you will feel that degridation towards time. "

Me and Mina were a bit stunned at what he just said. Ms.Losine mentioned that before but she never gave us an estimate of how long that would be. But then i started thinking about how he knew that and how he knew what we had. Mina seemed to have the same thoughts since she outright asked him about it.

(Mina) " Sir if i may be direct. How do you know about oath's and emblems lifespan increase? "

Mr.Ganton seemed like he was waiting for that question and soon we found the answer. He stood up and removed his shirt, which at first was embarrasing but when it was off and i looked past the scars i saw the emblem of a two horned... Horse? On his chest.

~ I've never heard of a horse with two horns before. I've heard of a unicorn but what's that? " 

(Reina) " What kind of beast is that? "

(Ganton) " This, is the emblem of a bicorn. Stubborn bastard is an annoyance but a great friend. Bicorns are essentially the antithesis to unicorns. So take everything you know about unicorns and flip them on their head. "

I never heard anything about a bicorn so naturally i was curious but all of a sudden Mina covered my ears and said something that turned out muffled for me. But i could see Mr.Ganton bursting out laughing. I was looking between the two of them and tried to get Mina's hands off but her hands were like a vice. They kept talking about something and i think Endis butted in and said something but a glare and quick word from Mina shut him down again. Eventually they decided it was ok to let me hear again. 

(Reina) " What was that for?! "

(Mina) " Don't ask you're not ready for that yet. "

(Reina) " Huh? "

Before i could say anything else Mr.Ganton, who had put his shirt back on by now, had interjected.

(Ganton) " Lets get back on track. Anyway this should answer those questions. Are there any other details that should be brought up? Like a certain hellion conquering a kingdom? "

Mina took the initiative again and explained what we found out this morning, aside from going into detail about the amulets. Mr.Ganton seems to had caught onto that but he didn't ask about it. 

(Ganton) " Haaah. How does she always maintain such a casual attitude towards these reckless feats... Anyway i'll have to relay this information about the rift to the right circles... I agree with what Argustus did, most humans can't look at fourty as an imminent enough threat... Why does it look like you have more to say? "

(Mina) " Well... There are three more rifts we were told about. We know that the first one is going to open in ten years. There are two others that will open ten years after that and then ten after the second. The rift under the castle is the last one that will open. " 

Mr.Ganton just stared at Mina and then buried his face in his hands and sighed heavily. Then he stood up and went over to his desk and fished out a key.

(Mina) " Sir? What's that? "

(Ganton) " It's the conference room key. Later in the day i'll be scheduling a conference with the major guilds and relay this information to those who are managed by those who aren't human. Anyway you've mentioned being here to register so i think it's about time to get you three tested. "

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(Mina) " That's perfect. However i have to ask, how are you capable of restraining your abilities to the lower ranks? "

(Ganton) " Good question. Now there are different ways for different people but the way i do it is by restraining my synchronization. Losine mentioned that to you all earlier. By lowering my synchronization my elements and their effects on my body are reduced. This methods the more difficult one as it requires you to be knowledgable of the effects and level of synchronization your body is at. I may be able to do it at any time i need without reprucusion but begginers would be in danger of weakening themself for life. "

We were all listening to that but i still found it hard to think someone could ruin their power for the rest of their life.But suddenly i heard Endis say something in a serious tone that didn't sound like him.

(Endis) " Hmmm. I wonder if mom knows how to do that... I'll have to ask her about that. "

(Mina) " If its her then i wouldn't be surprised if she could. "

(Ganton) " Hmm? I'd be surprised if a human would be crazy enough to try that method. Who's your mother? "

(Mina) " Oh. I left that out on purpose but... Ugh. "

Mina looked at Endis but it looked like he wasn't paying attention and was deep in thought. Mina sttarted snapping her fingers infront of his face until he started to noticed she was doing it.

(Endis) " Huh? What're you snapping at me for? "

(Mina) " Do you want to tell him or should i? "

(Endis) " Tell him what? "

(Mina) " Who your mom is you dingus. I tried to keep that out but Mr.Serious just had to let it slip. "

(Endis) " Ohhh. Ooops. I got it so you can relax now. "

Looking over to Mr.Ganton, Endis answered his question.

(Endis) " My moms "The Herald". "

Mr.Ganton didn't look fazed at the news and actually seemed to take it in a good way.

(Ganton) " Well that explains the sterotypical assassins gear. Wasn't expecting that but i don't think i should be surprised by much anymore. But "The Herald" huh. Interesting. I've followed her career for a bit but after she disappeared and only did a few jobs every few years, i thought she gave up. Didn't expect the reason to be a family. So who's the lucky guy? "

~ I wasn't expecting the guildmaster to be a fan but this is definetly a good thing. It's weird but Endis looks like he's having a good time with this. ~

(Endis) " Well my dad's also a guildmaster if you'd believe it. He's Northuld's guildmaster. "

When Endis said that, Mr.Ganton looked shocked beyond belief.

(Ganton) " ... What you're telling me is Vincent managed to marry "The Herald"... Vincent.... How in all the hells did that happen? "

(Endis) " Sometimes i question that too. Mom had a contract on him but ended up falling for him instead. "

Mr.Ganton just stared at Endis yet i think he was just looking past Endis and not even paying attention to what was happening anymore.

(Ganton) " I'm going to need some drinks after your evaluations. "

(Reina) " What's so unbelievable? "

When i said that everyone just looked at me with... Pity? I think?

(Reina) " What? What'd i say? "

They all just looked to each other and just shook their heads.

(Ganton) " If you ever meet his father you'll understand. "

(Endis) " What he said. "

(Mina) " I have to agree... Unfortunately. "

They all just agreed one after the other as if they planned that. After a few moments of me just looking between them Mr.Ganton got up and told us to follow. When we did he had brought us down to the first floor and over to a room on the right side of the lobby. The room seemed to be a sparring room where parties and other adventurers seemed to be training. When people started to notice Mr.Ganton they stopped sparring and started to look over at him.

Eventually all eyes in the training room were on us and the guildmaster. I could hear people whispering and some people were from the lobby so some of the whispering was about me and probably who the two with me were. The training room was massive so there were easily more then a few dozen people of whose attention was focused on us. It was nerve wracking to be honest but Mina put a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. 

(Mina) " It'll be ok Reina. Don't focus on what's around you, focus on what's infront of you. You're going to be taking a step towards your goal aren't you? You have to make sure you take a proper step. "

I felt Endis put his hand on my other shoulder and try to copy what Mina did. But failing.

(Endis) " Just pretend i'm saying something inspirational and supportive. "

That made me laugh a little and helped me relax. A few moments later we were infront of a large clearing with steps that led onto the stage where the other parties who were using it had cleared out. I didn't notice before but the floor felt sturdy and easy to walk on. The same feeling was with the clearings floor yet it felt different.

(Ganton) " Alright then. This is where we'll be conducting your test. Don't worry about the guys behind you, if you worry about what other people think about you or about the pressure put on you by others, to the point it hampers your skills then it'll be hard for you to be an adventurer. The way this'll go is you'll have to survive for aslong as you can and after every 5 minutes i'll begin restoring a stage of my power. The stage that you lose on will determine your ranking, however if you land a hit that exceeds the rank i'm at then i'll raise my rank automatically. Now who wants to go first? Oh and don't worry about injuries or injuring me, this stage will activate and save anyone who takes severe damage."

Me, Mina and Endis looked to each other and i could already see the look in their eyes. Mina smiled and Endis lightly pushed me forward. They both had smiles on their faces as they did it and that helped keep me calm.

(Endis) " Show em your results. "

(Mina) " Remember, don't worry about the people around you and focus on what's infront of you. You can do this Reina. "

Hearing their support helped ease the anxiety in my heart and it was exactly what i needed. The people around the stage looked like they were excited to see what was going to happen. I think someone shouted about what was going on at some point since the training hall was starting to fill up with more people... But. 

~ focusing on them shouldn't be what i'm doing. ~ 

Slapping my cheeks helped me focus. I tied up my hair into a pony tail and when i was done i walked up to Mr.Ganton. When i walked up he sprouted a smile and closed his eyes. Suddenly the aura and just the air around him seemed to change. Before he felt like a mountain i couldn't hope to climb. But now he feels like one step of many that i could take. Then Mr.Ganton opened his eyes, walked a few feet away from me and looked into the crowd for someone and said.

(Ganton) " Alice! Get up here! "

Looking back, the crowd seem to part around someone who i noticed to be the catkin girl from earlier. She seemed to be startled at the sudden call out but she complied either way.

(Alice) " Y-yes sir? "

(Ganton) " You'll be counting us down and refereeing these matches since you want to leave your post. "

(Alice) " Yes sir! "

After he told her that she ran over to a side of the stage and started to countdown. Mina and Endis went over and joined her and when they made it there, Alice started her countdown. But before she hit zero, Mr.Ganton said.

(Ganton) " This'll be my first time fighting a princess. Show me the spirit of the hellions daughter! "

(Alice) " ... 0! BEGIN. "

At that, we ran towards each other. Despite Mr.Ganton being unarmed i knew not to underestimate him just because he felt weaker. When we got close to each other he took a swipe at me with an earthen war hammer he materialized. I dodged that easily but when it hit the ground it shattered into shrapnel and almost hit me head on but i made a small sphere of darkness to corrode the shrapnel yet some still managed to make it past and leave knicks on my legs and arms. I didn't have time to think about them so i flashed darkness onto my legs to get rid of them and kept moving. Mr.Ganton was huge but he was by no means slow. Despite me running circles around him he almost managed to hit me with surprise flashes of movement or swings from his hammer.

While i was running around him i made sure to let one of my Siella's detatch and coated it in fire as i slashed towards him. I was able to send five thick slashes to see how tough his defense would be. When they got close enough to hit, Mr.Ganton made a shield that easily blocked them. But his shield seemed to have small cracks in it. That alone told me if i sent another wave or two i would be able to break his defenses. That was if i used my fire atleast. I stopped using my fire and swapped over to my darkness to get some damage on him.

However, before i was about to try out my darkness, Mr.Ganton decided to slow me down. Chains made of earth appeared on his wrists and arms and shot towards me. They kept coming despite me dodging so i knew he was actively controlling them. It didn't seem to take much concentration on his part since he charged towards me again with another war hammer in his hands. I knew i couldn't run and avoid forever so this time i ran to challenge him head on. With us charging towards each other it would only take a few seconds before we met each other head on. But before that happened i made sure to keep a cool head to be able to try the manuever i was thinking of.

Right before we clashed i had re-connected my Siella to keep it short range so i could try an attack that might give me an advantage. When Mr.Ganton swung his war hammer i jumped over it and him and coated my Siellas in darkness and cross slashed towards his shoulder blades. Mr.Ganton had hastily made a shield to defend his back but with my darkness, his defenses meant nothing. My darkness corroded his shield and went towards his skin. Mr.Ganton briefly shouted in pain but he must've grit his teeth since it ended.

Suddenly he felt more dangerous, stronger. Suddenly Mr.Ganton materialized a partial set of armour. He had a helmet that was connected to a chainmail chestplate and a thin layer of earth on his legs. The only parts that weren't covered were his arms. Seeing how that was where he was going i decided to do the same. Over the weeks of training i was able to make some progress with my armour and was able to make it more efficient thanks to daddy. I learned how to make them solid and feel close to actual armour over the weeks thanks to the tips and small bits of training we were able to do.

My legs began to be coated in darkness as they were partially covered by what would look to be solid darkness. My chest became covered by a breastplate of darkness that connected and extended to my arms. My Siellas became claws of solid darkness and steel. My head and hair became coated in darkness which made a helmet and my hair became a weapon. When Mr.Ganton turned and he seemed to be surprised about my armour. The crowd seemed to have the same reaction as they became silent before they suddenly roared in cheers. From the side i could hear some commentary coming from Alice and Mina.

(Ganton) " Interesting! Show me what you can do Reina! "

Mr.Ganton created earthen chains that grew and hung off of his arms and taunted me to come at him. I was tempted to do it but i decided to return the gesture. When i did he snorted and swung his hammer down. Spikes of earth grew and shot out of the floor and rained down over me. I avoided as many as i could but some still made contact against my armour. When the spikes connected the tips disintegrated but the force behind them still hit and hurt. Mr.Ganton kept up the waves of earthen spikes that kept coming.

~ If you want long range then i'll give you long range! ~ 

I coated my Siellas in darkness and kept them attached since my armours coating wouldn't effect them if i detatched them. When they were all coated i slashed towards Mr.Ganton and released a stream of ten long wide and thick devistating slashes of pure darkness. Mr.Ganton Looked at them and slammed the butt of his war hammer to the ground and erected a massive shield of earth and steel. The first few slashes that hit it were easily blocked but after the sixth or seventh slash connected, his shield started to crumble. By the nineth it was destroyed, and by the tenth he had to take it head on. When it made contact there didn't seem to be much damage but he probably wasn't expecting me to appear directly infront of him. 

When he erected his shield i took that moment to charge towards him. Endis had drilled the concept of charging and attacking when someone's forced to defend and cover their sight. When i was infront of Mr.Ganton i coated my claws with more darkness along with fire and slashed towards him. He tired to cover himself with the pole of his war hammer and the shield he made but my claws tore through it like it was paper. Before i slashed his armour he raised his rank again and made his armour thicker and added earthen spikes to his now complete chestplate and other limbs. The spikes were the thickest at their base but got thinner as they gew forwards. However they were still atleast 8 inches wides.

I hit the spikes and ran my left arm against a spike that protruded from his chestplate. My left leg was also cut into by a spike the came from his knee. After that happened he created another war hammer that looked sturdier and stronger then the other ones and swung at me. I didn't have many options but i knew what could give me the highest chance of coming out of that in the best condition. I undid my armour so my earth wouldn't be weakned and materialized and compacted as dense of an earthen shield that i could use to absorb the hit. When the hammer smashed into my shield it shattered parts of my shield but the force of the hit pushed me away and gave me some space to work with.

When i stopped sliding against the stage i made sure to de-materialize my shield and started to cover my wounds in darkness so they wouldn't get infected and switched to fire to cauterize them. It hurt but i wasn't going to let them get in the way of my test. When i was done looked up Mr.Ganton who had a smile on his face and shouted. 

(Ganton) " NOW THAT'S THE SPIRIT! " 

Despite the pain i felt i also felt happy. The old me could never do this. The old me could never be here. The old me wouldn't be able to do what the me that was right here was doing. I stood up despite the pain and tried something i was still working on. I coated myself in fire which covered the front of my legs, my arms from my elbows down, and a small part of my chest which grew in the middle and radiated outwards. My hybrid jacket resonated with my fire and grew coattails of flame.As i was now this was the most i could do and i couldn't make use of my coattails yet, but i knew if i kept training i'd work it out.

The crowd started roaring again but this time they were louder then before and i could see Mina and Endis looking surprised. I never told them i was working on this so that was to be expected. Mr.Ganton had sprouted a bigger grin which i didn't think possible and he even started laughing.

(Ganton) " LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER! " 

When he said that i felt happier then i've felt in a long time. I was getting there. I knew i was nowhere near them but just knowing i made progress in the right direction was enough for me. I knew i couldn't keep this armour on for a while so i knew it was time to make the most of it. With fire i could do something that i couldn't do with my darkness. I could compress it. I knew i would have one chance to do what i was thinking so i had to make this chance count.

When i was ready i ran towards Mr.Ganton and charged to get ready to radiated my fire outwards. Mr.Ganton was ready for me but i wouldn't let him win. I ran and slid under him and shot my charged flames out at the back of his knees. He wasn't expecting it and had a slow reaction towards my attack which couldn't save him as he was forced to kneel. My fire seemed to burst through the protection of his armour and directly hit a weak spot which did the amount of damage i was hoping for. 

  ~ Thankfully since Endis started teaching me about weak points i managed to pull that off. If he didn't i wouldn't have been able to think of that in the first place. I'll have to thank him after this. ~

I charged my flames to get another shot at him but again Mr.Ganton raised his rank again and reinforced his amour with steel. Suddenly spiked chains of steel shot out of his body and wrapped themselves around me. My instinct shouted danger but they wrapped around me before i could react. I tried to raise the heat to try to melt them but it didn't work. I tried to use my darkness but since i kept my fire armour was active it became a small bit weaker.

Though i don't think that would help much as they didn't corrode the chains fast enough. I switched over to earth and tried to make a buffer between me and the chains to try to slip out which almost worked but Mr.Ganton increased the pressure they were putting on me and shattered my earth. They slowly began to dig into me and it was hard not to scream out with how much they hurt, especially the ones that dug into my cauterized wounds and parts where i was hit by shrapnel. 

(Ganton) " Looks like that's your limit. "

When Mr.Ganton said that i had to admit he was right. I couldn't get out of this and i doubted coating myself in my darkness armour would change the result. I sighed and just stopped trying to get out of the chains. I decided to look up at Mr.Ganton and saw a figure that looked like a statue given life. His helmet covered his face but left a curved T like opening that showed both his eyes and a bit of his nose.

He looked to be fully covered in stone leaving no openings aside from his face and his horns. His arms, chest and legs looked like they were pure stone and had a design that seemed like horns on them. Just looking at him felt like i was looking at some kind of guardian.Seeing him helped me squash any thoughts that i wasn't strong enough or that i could keep going. I knew this was my limit and admitted it.

(Reina) " Yes. Looks like it is. "

When i said that Mr.Ganton released me and reached a hand out to me which i took. Standing up hurt but i was still able to do it. It was then that Mina and Endis raced on over and i heard Alice shout out.

(Alice) " AND THE TEST IS OVER! REINA KURUSU LASTED OVER TEN MINUTES AND FORCED MASTER OLTURAN TO GO UP TO A RANK! REINA KURUSU IS B RANK! I REPEAT REINA KURUSU IS B RANK! "

When i heard that i was happy about where i managed to get to in this short amount of time. But after that everything started to go black and i lost conciousness. But before i did i could hear the cheers of the crowd and the shouts of Mina and Endis.